Back into the City
by FaithfulWhispers
Summary: This is a sequel to my short story The Storm, again revolving mainly around Donnie. The gang hijacked a Kraang ship and returned to the city. However, its not the same city they grew up in, since the Kraang settled in it. What awaits Donnie and his family?
1. Chapter 1

Staring out into the window of the ship, Donatello's reddish eyes widen. The sight before him was shocking, yet he knew that he shouldn't be surprised. The city they had fled months ago looked alien to him. After all, they brewed up that storm, so the Kraang are much more capable than that and they had plenty of time to alter everything they once knew. Looking back at his friends and family, he saw that they had still slept. The dim light lit their faces and he knew they were in for a surprise when they wake up.

Darting his attention back to the front, he scanned the scene over again. Donnie landed the ship a good distance outside the city close to a sewer drainage field. That's where they were going to enter to get back to the lair. However, with this distance one could make out a good chunk of the city. Deep in his mind, he knew it was going to take a lot of work and resources to fix everything. Smoke and gasses emitted from the tallest of the city's building, covering the area is a dark haze. It was early morning, but the sun hardly shone for New York City. What did shine, were the tall purple crystals surrounding the city. Making out blobs roaming, he figured that they were the mutated citizens that inhabited the city.

Feeling disgusted, he turned away, knowing that he needed to rest. A yawn broke from him from exhaustion. Don headed towards the back and then slumped down to the ground next to his brothers. Nothing could be accomplished while he was tired and he had a long day ahead of him. Sleep didn't come easy to him though, as his mind was restless. When he had drifted off to sleep, he would then jerk back awake in discomfort. Rolling his shoulders, he sighed and stared at the metal ceiling above him. His eyes traced every intricate crease and design. Feeling his eyes get heavy, he finally drifted off to sleep.

After a few hours, murmurs sounded in Donnie's ears that he couldn't make out. His cheek was cold from the metal he laid on and his neck felt extremely stiff. Moaning, he didn't want to get up. Suddenly, his senses jolted him awake, causing a dull pain to emit from his neck. Opening his drowsy eyes, he was greeted with the sight of the gang standing in front of him, looking out towards the city. Knowing what they felt, he shrugged off the feelings of drowsiness and rolled his shoulders.

"Oh, morning guys." Donnie mumbled as he stood up.

They turned around and greeted him. However, they then bombarded him on what he was going to do. Their faces held extreme concern for the alienated city ahead. As they scooted around him, Don felt the tension press up against him. All eyes were on him and they were all talking at once, causing him to not catch every phrase.

Then rubbing the back of his neck, a stern frown formed on his face. He replied with "Well, I need to get into the supplies and make respirators similar to what we used in Dimension X."

With all the Kraang technology they looted, along with the tools Donnie brought, it was a manageable task. Staring into Leo's indigo eyes, he knew his older brother was thinking up a plan. Once they had the means to breathe the air, he would lead them out onto their next mission. Nodding towards Leo, he turned away and stretched his limbs. April walked over to his side, looking him in the eyes.

"If you want, I'll help." She offered him

Warmth spread inside him at her offer. Any chance for them to bond was much appreciated and without hesitated he nodded in excitement.

"Ok, well we'll need to shift through this stuff. Once I got the right components we can get to work." He said with enthusiasm.

Looking at April, he admired her. To him, she was a strong and intelligent being that was encased in beauty. Shifting away from his poetic thoughts, he felt the need to impress her even though deep down he knew that she was just his friend. Without hesitation, he started digging through the crates in what looked like a storage compartment.

It took about an hour before Donnie was satisfied with the amount that they shifted through. Bringing their haul towards the center of the ship, he motioned for April to set down her share. Once all the components were spread out, he sat down and began to work. His brow furrowed in concentration and he stuck his tongue from the corner of his mouth. Sitting there diligently, April handed parts he asked for and gave ideas to certain things. Behind them, Casey watched without speaking.

Raph saw this and came over to talk to him.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked his friend.

"Man, it's just lately April has been paying more attention to Donnie and I don't like it. I mean come on!" Casey complained in a hushed voice.

Scoffing, Raph was tired of the Donnie and Casey rivalry. Donnie was his brother and Casey was his best friend, he was sick of it.

"Look man, why does it matter who April pays attention to? Donnie feels that way about you and her all the time. You two just need to suck it up and get over it. I'm pretty sure she's tired of it too. Besides, we have more important things to think about than who gets the girl." Raph lectured in a low angry tone.

Rolling his eyes, Casey let out an "Argh."

Cutting him off before he could continue to complain, Raph added "Besides, what about your family? They are in that city right now and you're worrying about a girl."

Realization hit him hard and with a shamed face, he looked down. Raph wasn't usually one to preach wise words, but his friend made a good point. He missed his family terribly and he thought about them often. Sitting here getting jealous wasn't going to help them right now. Deep down he knew he needed Donnie's help to get his family back.

Looking back up at Raph, he put his arm around him. "For a tough guy, you can be pretty sensitive."

Grunting, Raph punched him for the remark and then they switched topics to something else. Over to the front, Leo stood looking out, examining the darkened city. Swimming in thoughts, images of his battle flashed in his mind. Shrugging them off, he eyed the drain pipe they were going to enter later. He felt that someone was standing behind him, he glanced over his shoulder. Mikey's bright blue eyes met his in anticipation, hoping his brother had answers.

"Are we going to be able to get back to the lair?" He asked Leo.

Sighing, Leo replied with "I'm positive Mikey. Don't worry."

Inching closer, Mikey then asked "Are you feeling ok, bro? You seem...on edge."

Mikey had always been sensitive to things, even though he wasn't always the brightest. It didn't stop him from knowing when his brothers had something bothering them; growing up along side them, he was close to them.

"I'm fine Mikey, I'm just trying to figure out our next move." Leo assured.

Looking back at Donnie and April, he pointed at them and continued "With Donnie's devices, we'll be able to get to the lair and I'll come up with our next move."

Nodding, Mikey looked at them working. He then started to hear Icecream Kitty Mewling; with all the recent events he forgot about her. Realizing this, he rushed over to the cooler he placed in the back corner and sought her company.


	2. Chapter 2

Hours passed while Donnie worked with April to get the respirators together. Tension grew in the air around them as the rest of the gang sat uneasily in the small confined space. Finally, Donnie stood up and stretched. Feeling accomplished, he looked at April and gave her a toothy smile, showing the gap in his teeth.

"Ok April, I think we're ready. Thanks for the help!" Donnie said enthusiastically.

Excitement welled up inside of him. His reddish-brown eyes glimmered as he smiled. Glancing behind him, he saw that everyone else had crowded around him. Looking Leo straight in the eyes, he nodded and proceeded to have April hand him the devices. Each person got strapped up and then faced Leo, waiting for his direction.

"Ok gang, we are going to enter the drainpipe and into the sewers. There we are going to stay out of sight and underground. Remember, we are not to be spotted and no one makes any rash moves. Let's head home!" Leo's voice deeper voice held authority in it.

With Leo's signal, Donnie opened the ship's door.

As they exited the ship, the air echoed with the patter of their steps. Each person stepped outside, glancing around, keeping a watch. Donnie was the last to leave the ship and as he exited, he looked up towards the sky. Full of dark hues, the sun hardly shone through, making it seem like night when it was only midday. Seeing Kraang ships hovering around the city, he knew that he needed to hustle and keep up. He'll have plenty of time in the future to evaluate the situation. Rushing into the dark sewers, his eyes readjusted to the darkness. The smell hit him hard, as it had been months since he was here. "Man, I can't believe we were used to this." He thought to himself.

Sounds of dripping chimed through the air and the splashes from their steps echoed. Sticking to the shadows, they watched every corner and weaved their way through the maze of tunnels. Donnie felt on edge, but excitement grew within him knowing he'll be back in his lab soon. Suddenly, a thought occurred "The Kraang had time to go through the sewers and scout for everything. What if they found the lair and ransacked everything?"

Anguish crept inside of him and anxiety started to eat away at him."Guys" Donnie whispered, calling his brother's attention.

"What, Donnie?" Leo asked in a low hushed voice.

"Well, what if the Kraang found the liar? What if there's a trap waiting for us or what if they took everything?" Donnie started to panic.

"We'll worry about that when we get there. For now, just stay in the shadows and be quiet!" Leo ordered.

A sigh passed his lips and didn't reply. He wanted to argue, but they were already so close. Making their way to the abandoned train way, they drew nearer to the entrance. Awareness within them grew, as they listened for noises. Nothing was there, but dead silence. He spotted the turned over Shellraiser. Slowly stepping towards the lair's entrance, closer to the vehicle, a knot formed in his stomach. Pushing aside the feelings about how his baby was destroyed, he knew he needed to focus. As they made their way up to the entrance, relief spread among them as the destroyed lair looked just as how they left it. Also, the gas was thinner in the air than the dense fog above ground.

Giving the signal for them to stay silent, he ordered them to move out. Slowly, they made their way into the lair. Donnie decided to scout out his lab while the rest went their individual ways. Inching to the door to his lab, he felt anxiety crushing down on him. Even though the lab was a mess when he left it, he had hoped that his things and Timothy were still there. Lightly, he pressed on the door, which creaked as he pushed. A faint green glow was inside and Donnie peered inwards. Timothy was where he had left him.

"Looks like the Kraang haven't been here. If they have seen the lair, they must have not been interested." Donnie muttered to himself.

Feeling relieved, Donnie entered and turned on some lights. Luckily, the power remained, making him glad. Glancing left to right, he scanned the room; there were things damaged and all over the place. The lair and his lab, among other things needed a lot of work.

"First we need to clean up and make repairs. Then I need to see about a way to purifying the air down here so that we won't need these devices. After that we can see about making retro-mutagen and figuring out how to kick the Kraang out." Donnie started listing different things he needed to do.

Rubbing his neck, he stared at the floor. Many thoughts crossed his mind, but he needed to see the others and tell Leo that his side was clear. Each step echoed in the quiet lab as he made his way to the door. Shifting, he pulled the door open and leaned out. Raph and Mikey were in the center by the debris.

Donnie noticed somber looks on their faces and then he asked "What's wrong?"

Looking up at him, Mikey replied with "I kind of expected to see Master Splinter waiting for us, but the lair is empty."

Raph looked away and clenched his fists. Yelling out, he kicked a stone in front of him with rage."Give it a rest! Master Splinter is gone and we watched it happen!" he yelled with agony.

Feeling his pain, Mikey grabbed his brother and hugged him."I miss him too, I miss him too." in a soft whisper, he said.

Watching Mikey and Raph also brought sadness into Don. There were thoughts he often tried not to think about that swam through him. If only he had listened to Leo, Master Splinter would still be with him. He didn't vocalize his guilt often and he often tried to push it aside, but this time it hit him hard. However, he wanted to make things right and planned to.

April and Casey came to the center and watched the three younger turtles in their grief."Where's Leo?" April asked them. She wanted them to think about other things, as she knew what was bothering them.

"He's in the Dojo." Raph replied lowly, tension still remained in his voice.

"I'll go get him." Donnie offered.

Without waiting for a reply, he walked away from the rest of them. He felt like he should be the one to talk to Leo. His face showed determination as he entered the Dojo, there he saw Leo sitting under the tree meditating.


	3. Chapter 3

The room was dark, as the light from above was blocked from the haze. In fact, that's where a lot of the gasses were coming from. Looking at the tree, it was in poor health. He could tell that it was on it's last leg and at the current moment there was nothing he could do to save it. Escaping his lips, a sigh broke the still silence of the room. However, Leo remained still.

"Um." Donnie's voice rang out.

No reply; his brother didn't even move a muscle.

"Umm…. Uh, Leo?" Donnie tried again.

Finally, Leo shifted then stood up. Stretching, he faced his brother that was seeking his attention.

"Yes Donnie? The older brother replied, not looking too thrilled.

Shifting his weight side to side, he felt awkward. Donnie rubbed the back of his neck and said "Well, everything is clear. We just need to work and make clean ups."

Nodding, Leo agreed. "Yeah, we should get to that as soon as possible." His voice sounded heavy.

Donnie looked Leo straight in the eyes. He knew his brother had changed, but he wondered what was going through his mind. After all, he went through a traumatic event, but rarely ever talked about it. Leo had his pride, however sometimes Donnie wished he would talk about it. He knew his brother would probably never be the same.

"Something wrong, Leo? Is your leg bothering you?" Donnie asked sensitively.

Turning his back from his brother, Leo replied "My leg is fine. Nothing is wrong, really. I just…I miss Sensei...that's all."

Donnie could see Leo shaking a little and he was shocked. It looked like Leo was crying. A hard lump formed in Don's throat. There weren't very many times he's seen his older brother cry; the last time was ages ago. Walking over to his brother, he put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Silence filled the air and the guilt that had been eating away at Donnie only ate faster. Closing his eyes, his face twisted in grief as he tried to keep himself from breaking down.

"If only I had listened to you and not argued." Donnie whispered.

Leo stiffened as he heard his brother's words. It occurred to him just how much Donnie had truly blamed himself. Shrugging Donnie's hand off, he turned to face him. His eyes were red; however, he looked straight at the taller turtle.

"Look at me, Donnie." Leo said sternly.

A hard frown formed on Donnie's face as he eased his eyes open, preparing to get chewed out. Feeling like he deserved every word he was about to receive, his reddish-brown eyes looked straight into Leo's. Raising his hands, Leonardo gripped his brother's shoulders; then he gave out a sigh.

"What happened was not all on you. Some of things that happened were unavoidable. It's the Shredder's fault for what happened to me and sensei. Not you." He said firmly in a low tone.

Feeling shocked, his mouth gaped open. Being speechless, he just nodded his head. Closing his mouth, a firm frown formed; looking away, he tried to clear his thoughts. Even though Leo said that to him, the image of Splinter being thrown like a ragdoll down the pipe was still fresh in his mind. Words that Raph screamed at the Shredder, rang in his ears.

Closing his eyes firmly shut, he shook his head. Clear minded, he looked back at Leo and pushed his hands off him. He tried to give a faint smile of reassurance that Leo was right. Deep down however, he felt like he still had a responsibility to make things right.

Footsteps drew closer and echoed through the rooms. Hearing the others approach, Donnie turned around to face them.

"Oh are we interrupting a soap opera moment?" Raph asked sarcastically.

From the looks on their faces, the rest of them heard a good portion of the conversation. Donnie didn't want to look April in the eyes, so he shifted his gaze downward. Placing his hands on his hips, he then snapped his head up and looked at Raphael.

"We are not having a soap opera moment. We were just discussing plans, that all." Donnie tried to be as smooth as possible.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Right. Okay. Well, what's the plan then?" He asked his brothers.

"We clean up the lair and I need two people to make a run to the ship to grab our things. One of them has to be Donnie, though." Leo said.

Hearing his name, Donnie sighed.

"Why me?" He asked with an annoyed tone.

"Because, you're the one that deals with the weird Kraang stuff." Leo smirked at him.

Throwing his hands up in the air, he let out an "Argh" and walked away. There were times he wished he wasn't the one that deals with the Kraang tech. However, there was no helping it; his lab would have to wait till later. Looking behind him, he waited to see who would go with him. No one moved or said a word. Motioning to come on, Donnie waited for someone to volunteer. Finally, April stepped forward.

"I'll go with you, Donnie. Come on" She said, assuring him.

She walked passed him and left him in a daze. He was shocked and happy that she volunteered to go with him. He felt extremely lucky today. Following her, he smiled and the tube to the respirator almost fell out. Regaining his composure, Donnie thought about all the different ways he could attempt to purify the air in the lair. The bigger question was if it was going to work on the air topside.

"One thing at a time, Donatello." He muttered to himself.

Looking up, he knew he had a lot of work to do and every day, the Kraang tried to further their reaches. A weight crashed down on him as the thought came to him. Each day was going to be a race on who can get on top. However, they have the advantage since they were hidden right below. They just needed to keep it that way. Shaking his head, he needed to focus. The faster they got done with their run, the faster he could get to work. Catching up to April, he passed the wrecked Shellraiser and left the lair, heading for the maze of tunnels.


	4. Chapter 4

Sounds of dripping filled the silence in the dark sewers. April and Donnie stuck to the shadows as they made their way to the exit. Keeping a guard, Donnie watched and kept an eye out for any Kraang bots that may be lurking, however he hasn't spotted one yet. Feeling on edge, he felt like it was a matter of time.

"I don't like this." April whispered to him.

Feeling confused Donnie looked at her. "Why's that? Is it the smell?"

"No, it's too empty and quiet in here. We haven't seen any of those brain blobs down here!" She whispered back.

April had a point and Don did find it weird they haven't come across a patrol; then it hit him as to why, as it was simple.

"That's probably because they took over the city and they don't need to work behind the scenes anymore. They don't know we're here, so there's no reason for them to be down here." He explained.

Nodding, April understood and kept walking. The explanation was reasonable enough, however they shouldn't chance blowing their cover. Eventually the two of them made it to the opening where they had entered earlier. Night had settled in and it was just as dark out there as it was in the sewer.

Carefully moving out to the ship, Donnie looked up towards the sky. None of the stars were visible along with the moon. Looking towards the city, he eyed the purple glows from the crystals and the bright pink lights from the buildings. He drew his mouth into a hard line and furrowed his brows. Concentration took his mind and tension grew in his stomach. "So much work that needs to be done." he thought to himself. Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his arm and he snapped back into reality.

Looking at April, he smiled awkwardly. She stood next to him, looking out towards the city.

"It's awful isn't it?" She murmured.

Nodding, Donnie stared at her. Her face was full of different emotions, but he could tell it was mainly worry. "Yeah, but don't worry, we'll take back the city somehow and we'll get your Dad back." He assured her.

Looking into her blue eyes, he saw that she wanted to believe him. Looking away, she let go of his arm and headed towards the ship. Donnie watched as she walked away from him. Noticing that he was still standing there, she turned around.

Raising her hand, she motioned for Donnie to follow. "Well aren't you coming?" She asked.

Without hesitation, Donnie felt determination and caught up with her. They reached the ship and Don opened it. A soft thud sounded as the entrance hit the ground. Stepping in, his footsteps echoed in the sphere, with April's following after. Glancing around, he located where all the stuff they had brought was and made his way around the ship and gathered them. Seeing April put on a large, heavy bag, he made his way to her.

"Here, let me carry that." He offered her, while giving her a sincere smile.

Looking up at him, her eyes flashed with some annoyance. "No, it's fine. I've got it Donnie….thanks." She replied.

Feeling dejected, he failed at his chance of impressing her. But shrugging it off, he gathered up the rest of the stuff. Donnie had made an extra respirator in case one of them may have needed it, but he left in with their stuff on the ship. Looking at the cooler containing Icecream Kitty, he opened it and strapped her in it, knowing she probably can't breathe the air as well. Closing her back in there, while getting messy, he heard her faint mewls of protest. Donnie blocked them out, while wiping himself off. Once that was finished, he closed the ship behind him. Looking at April, he nodded that he was ready.

They quickly made their way back into the sewers with their haul. After being exposed to the smell earlier, it didn't hit him nearly as hard and eventually he got used to it. Splashing sounds echoed in his ears, along with his breathing. Following April, he kept his eyes on alert, just to be safe. However, something strange sounded in the sewers. Widening his eyes, he then held his breath to listen closely. Noticing that he stopped walking, April turned around.

"What is it, Donnie?" She whispered.

"Shhh. I hear something." Donnie replied back.

She didn't respond, however she listened closely herself.

"Yeah, I hear it too. It's coming from over there!" She pointed at the adjacent tunnel up ahead.

"There's a waterway over there...why would the Kraang be interested in that?" Donnie was confused.

"It doesn't sound like a Kraang; It's slithering around. Maybe...it's one of their pets? April tried to reason.

Looking at her, he was amazed by her senses, but he snapped back into focus." Well whatever it is, we need to keep moving." Donnie said.

He wasn't ready for a fight, and he wanted to avoid alerting anyone that they were down in the sewers. So leading the way, he motioned for April to follow. Sighing, she agreed and they both made their way through the tunnels, back into the train way. Shifting his weight, he readjusted the things he was carrying, and made his way to the entrance. Eying the Shellraiser, he planned on fixing it after he fixed up the liar and the lab. However, he had something awesome in mind for it.

Being greeted by the others, they relieved Donnie and April of the items. Rolling his shoulders, he thanked his brothers. Once he was comfortable, he scanned the lair. From the looks of it, they had started cleaning up and got a good amount of it done. The debris was piled up in the center still, but he planned on putting the metals to use.

"I need to figure out a way to clean the air in here." Donnie murmured.

His brothers looked up at him when they heard him speak.

"Will you be able to do that?" Leo asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Yeah, as long as we can seal up the lair. I might have to seal up the main entrance to the subway, but I can use sheets of metal and stuff to do that. I did notice most of the pollution is seeping in from the Dojo…so I'll need to seal that up first. Then I can work on an air purifier that should filter the toxic elements out of the air" Donnie explained as simply as possible.

Remembering what he encountered in the sewers, he also added "We also need to keep up our guard. We aren't alone in the sewers. We heard something rustleing around by the waterway. I will need to go over there and scout out for fresh water tomorrow. I'm sure the water ways still have holds of clean water."

Leo looked at him and his face hardened. It didn't please him knowing they weren't alone down here. Seeing his brother's reaction he followed his explanation with a solution. "Once we get all the repairs done, I can set up a security system. I feel we'll need it…." Donnie started trailing off.

Cutting him off, Leo responded "Well, if you're going to scout tomorrow, take Raph with you. I don't want anyone going out of the lair alone...This goes for all of you. Any trips out of the lair needs to be done in pairs." His voice held authority. After all, they were in enemy territory.

Nodding, no one argued. Raph sighed, because normally Donnie was paired with Mikey for these things. He was too tired to complain, however. He felt like he needed to pull his weight anyways.

"Okay Leo, well I'll do it tomorrow. We should get started on the repairs anyways." Donnie said dryly.

Feeling eager to get to his lab and start working on cleaning it, he left them to sort out their stuff. His arms were full of his tools, and he shouldered the door to the lab open. Glancing over at Timothy, he knew he had to wait before helping him. The world was just too dangerous now to let him roam free in any form. Walking over to the frozen chamber, he set his tools down and then he put his hand on it.

"I'm back. Once we get everything settled, I promise to make things right." He said with a soft expression, feeling the weight of his responsibility.

Turning away, he picked his tools up and put them in their proper places. Then he placed his laptop on the table and hooked it up. Once that was finished, he went around the room picking up schematics and objects that were cluttered around, knowing they would come in handy eventually.


	5. Chapter 5

Inside the liar, it was lively with everyone pitching in to clean while Donnie was in his lab. Most of the stuff that hasn't been damaged had been picked up and put away. Anything that was damaged got piled outside of Donnie's lair for him to fix later, much to his displeasure; a lot things were damaged. The main priority for them was to sort everything out and make it orderly in the liar. He planned on repairing the broken objects that were a necessity first, any leisure items were at the bottom his priority list; to him it made sense. There wasn't time for leisure for any of them and he had a lot of other obligations sitting on his shoulders.

Noises echoed into the lair from Donnie's lab, as he worked on fixing it up. He had pulled out power tools and was making basic structural repairs, such as the side door. Feeling tired, his limbs ached from all the work he had put in so far. They had been working for hours and he was no exception, but there was much to be done. After repairing the garage door leading out of his lab, he took off his welding mask and wiped his brow.

Sighing, he inspected his work. Feeling pleased, Donnie cracked his neck and exited his lab, wanting to see how the main room of the lair was looking. The structural damage wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it was going to be. However, he needed to patch the ceiling and reinforce it where it had collapsed. Walking into the pit, which had been completely cleared, he looked up to inspect it. Since everything was out of the way, that would be his next job.

Stretching, he composed a list of tools in his mind that he needed. He also figured he would also need a helper for the job.

"Mikey, can you come here for a minute?" Donnie called out towards the kitchen.

A bumbling of noises sounded, and his brother popped his head out the entrance way to the kitchen.

"What's up, D?" Mikey asked.

"I'm going to need your help with this." Donnie replied while pointing above his head.

He knew he can count on Mikey for help when he needed it. Mikey glanced at the ceiling and then back at Donnie. A smile formed on his face and he nodded.

"Yeah! That's not a problem, bro." Mikey said as he walked next to Donnie.

Motioning for Mikey to follow, he went back into his lab to gather the required materials and tools. He planned on using sheets of metal to patch the ceiling and some wood. Pulling out a ladder, he motioned for Mikey to grab the other end as he walked back into the main room of the lair.

Once they were all set up, Donnie had Mikey hold the wood still as he nailed a frame together. Once the frame was in place, he had his brother hold the thick metal sheet in place as he welded it to the steel bars. The task was tedious and lengthy. In order for him not to have to deal with it again, he needed to take his time and do it right the first time. "I'm glad the damage was only minimal." Donnie thought to himself as he sighed into the wielding mask. His arms ached from all the work he had done throughout the day, but he felt like this was the most productive he has been in months.

The others were off doing their own thing. Casey was with April in the Dojo with Leo, while Raph as on the side sorting stuff out. Casey was going to have to crash in the pit once the repairs were done and April was to make herself at home in the Dojo. Donnie liked the fact that they were going to have separate sleeping arrangements, but he needed to finish working on the ceiling for it to happen. Focusing his mind back to the task, he leaned back.

Motioning for Mikey to let go, he inspected the repair that took him a couple of hours to make. He could tell Mikey was getting tired and Donnie felt exhausted. Taking off the mask, he looked closely at the smaller gaps.

"Those will need to be filled with caulk, in order to completely seal it." Stifling a yawn, Donnie's tired voice explained.

Mikey nodded and jumped down to the ground and rolled his shoulders. He felt stiff from sitting still for so long; he was a turtle that hated sitting still.

"Thanks for your help, Mikey. This is pretty much done if you want to go to bed." Thanking his brother, he looked down at Mikey.

"Well, what about you? Aren't you gonna go bed?" Mikey asked curiously.

Shaking his head, Donnie smiled weakly. "Eh, I will after I seal all this up." He motioned towards the cracks.

"Ah okay. Don't stay up too late, D."Mikey called back as he walked towards his room.

Casey had walked over and started watching Donnie, while everyone else had headed off to bed. Feeling eyes on him, Donnie's green skin tingled and he looked down.

"Is something wrong, Casey?" He asked with a low annoyed tone.

Rolling his eyes, Casey replied "Nah, just watching you work. After all, this is where I'm going to sleep isn't it?" His voice held sarcasm that greatly bothered Donnie.

"Yeah…Well hand me that caulking tube so I can finish this" Donnie said without looking at Casey.

Bending down, Casey grabbed the item and then chucked it at Donnie, with force. Since he saw it coming from the corner of his eye, he caught it and glanced at it.

"What's your problem, Casey?" Feeling fed up with Casey's attitude, he threw him a glare.

"I don't have a problem. Maybe it's you that has a problem." Casey retorted.

"I don't have a problem, Casey! Frankly, you've been a pain." Donnie's voice was starting to rise and his eyes flashed with anger. He was really tired of Casey being a jerk to him.

"Fine! I don't like how April has been paying attention to you. I mean, come on! The way you to have been together and spending time...it's not right! Also, I saw that kiss she gave you. What's the deal with that?" Casey started ranting off in anger. Even though he had put his jealousy aside earlier, it bubbled back to the surface.

Feeling taken a back, Donnie hadn't realized that April had been paying more attention to him lately. Also, remembering that kiss made his heart flutter; he didn't know someone else had seen it. April had acted like nothing happened after that, but he still thought about it every now and then; the girl confused him a lot. However, returning his thoughts back to the present, he flashed a grin at Casey.

"Oh, so you're jealous. Please, you spend time with April too. However, maybe I'm the guy she likes more, because I'm not a jerk like you! I remember the argument back on the ship. So, what was that about?" Donnie started getting sassy, as he felt like he was going to win this argument.

"It's none of your business!" Casey snapped back. Feeling done, he wanted to lunge at Donnie, but their moment was interrupted.

"What is going on out here? It's late!" Raph yelled out as he left his room. Seeing the two in the pit about to fight, he felt his anger rise. "Are you two seriously going at it? Both of you need to grow up!" Raph hollered. He was cranky from the lack of sleep he had.

Casey looked up at his friend, hoping for some help. "You know he wouldn't be right for April!" Casey said to his friend, with exasperation.

Anger bubbled in Donnie as he heard this and waited to hear Raph's reply.

"No, I don't know that. Okay, Donnie is my brother and you're my friend. You two aren't going to get anywhere by fighting. You let her decide who's right for her. But you two aren't doing a good job impressing her with the way you're acting." Raph lectured. He hated being the turtle to lecture about things and it made him feel like Leo. Having enough of the conversation, he turned his back and went back to his room to go to bed.

Realization hit both of them. Donnie looked back up and stayed quiet, while Casey stared at the ground.

"I'm pretty much done with this, so I'll just let you have the room...Later." Donnie mumbled without looking at Casey.

Gathering up his tools, he left the ladder where it was at. Donatello's feet felt heavy as he made each step to the lab. Once all his tools were put up, he shut off the lights to the lab and headed for his room. Every muscle felt tense and his mind wandered. Exhaustion hit him hard when he entered his room. Seeing that everything was just how he left it, he felt glad. Settling into his bed, he let his mind carry off in his thoughts as he waited for sleep to claim him.


	6. Chapter 6

Waking up wasn't too fun for Donnie. When he gained awareness, he didn't want to open his eyes. Feeling drained, his body ached. The tube of the respirator was held firmly in place with his lips clamped tight around it as he sucked in the air. Moaning, he slowly eased himself up, knowing he had work to do. As he lifted open his eyes, the room came into view; the sight of it being his own room, comforted him.

"That was the best sleep I've gotten in ages." He said in a groggy voice.

Looking around the room, he noticed all the scattered textbooks. Shifting his weight forward, he got out of bed and eyed a few titles. _The Bonding of Elements_ caught his eye and reached down to grab it.

"This might be useful to have on hand when I make the purifier. I'm mostly going to make an over sized respirator, but having references is a good thing." In a perky tone, Donnie had starting muttering to himself.

With the book in hand, he exited his room and headed off towards his lab. Glancing around as he walked, he saw the others were up and going about their business. The effort to clean the lair was pretty much finished and what was mostly left was up to Donnie to fix. It annoyed him, but he honestly wanted to make sure the job was done right.

The door to the lab creaked as Donatello shifted his weight on it. His body was still stiff and sore from the previous day's labor. Raph had been right about them starting to get out of shape from being out in the woods, as much as he resented it. However, working with his hands always made him feel better and welcomed the productivity, despite the fact he hated to be the ones to do the repairs himself. It wasn't nearly as fun as inventing and creating things, however he had his obligations and this wasn't about having fun.

Sighing, Donnie set down the book and began to stretch. Creating an itinerary in his mind, he knew that they were going to need water. The water from the tap needed to be tested, but most likely he was going to have to draw fresh water from another source, mainly the waterways.

Rubbing his temples as he concentrated, Donnie mumbled out "After I figure out our situation for water, I need to seal up the Dojo… I better go find Raph." Donnie made his way around the room and grabbed items he needed such as a can of paint, flashlight, and a bag full of empty canisters. Once he had all the items on hand he exited the lab to find his brother.

Raphael had been in the Dojo with Leo. Since they were home and home was in enemy territory, training was a necessity to them. They had managed to get Mikey to go along, but the two had been going at it. Donnie entered and watched as Leo tried to hold his ground. Even though he was doing better, he still wasn't up to a hundred percent. It would take a while before he was working as he did before the event. Standing there with his arms crossed, he kept an eye on Leo and Raph's movements.

Twirling around, Leo raised his katanas and swiped across. However, Raphael parried the move and sent him flying back.

"You're getting better already!" Raph said in a cheerful tone. Lately, he had been the perky turtle when it came to training. Donnie figured it was his way to support Leo.

"Ugh, well I need to get better, faster!" Yelling out, Leo lunged forward for his next attack.

The sparring session lasted for another ten minutes and Donnie waited patiently. Leo looked up at Donnie and said he needed to start training to, but Donnie cut him off.

"Uh, actually I'm here to get Raph to come with me. Before we dehydrate ourselves, I want to make sure we have a decent source of water." Using his sassy tone, he explained to his older brother.

Leo sighed, and motioned them away "Fine, you can train later". Exiting the Dojo, Donnie looked over his shoulder to see that Leo had started going at it with Mikey. However, Raph followed close behind as they walked through the lair.

"So I'm guessing it's not safe to use the sink?" Raph asked curiously, while eying the taller turtle.

Donnie rolled his eyes and shifted his weight back and forth as he walked. "Well, I'm not sure yet. Before I start testing it, I want to make sure we have a backup plan in case it isn't. Making a water purifier as well as an air one will take a lot of time and if we have access to water, then the water purifier will be the bottom of my list of things that need to get done right away." Drabbling on, Donnie started filling the silence with all his explanations.

Raph knew he was going to hear his brother ramble on a lot, so he resorted to nodding and letting out the occasional "uh huh." as they made their way through the sewers. This was the main reason he didn't like being stuck with Donnie, since he talked his ear off. However, it was better than being stuck with Mikey.

Getting tired of the rambling and remembering that they weren't the only ones hanging out in the sewer, Raph cut his brother off. "Shh, ok I get it. You're a ninja, now do what ninjas do!" Raph whispered in annoyed voice.

Burrowing his face into his hand, Donnie grumbled and complied. There wasn't any point in arguing with Raph, because it led to you getting punched. Shrugging it off, Donnie kept moving since they were almost at the different channels. Keeping an eye out, he watched for any signs of what may be down there. Besides the sounds of running water, silence filled the air.

Adjusting his eyes to the darkness, Donnie scanned around at the different chambers. From the looks of it, most of the water was contaminated and wasn't worth anything. He didn't even want to touch it, since he didn't know the consequences of doing so. Making his way through the different areas, one tunnel caught his eye. Leaning to the side to get a closer look, he motioned Raph to follow. Proceeding down it, Donnie's excitement grew as he drew his flashlight out and shined it at the end.

"Oh good! There's a source right here. It's pretty far down here and judging the depth, I say it leads off to different areas. We might want to explore that eventually." Getting excited, Donnie looked at his brother with a toothy grin, with the tube handing from the corner of his mouth.

"Okay. Now grab the water and let's go." Raph grumbled to him.

"Okay fine, but take the paint can and start marking on our way out! That way the others know where to get water!" Donnie whispered back in annoyance while pointing at the wall next to them.

After handing him the can of red paint, Donnie started pulling out the canisters and began to draw water from the pool. Knowing that the Kraang's influence didn't completely take over the sewers made him glad, as there was some hope in the situation. However, he was curious as to what he had heard the other day, but for now it wasn't important. Once the task of collecting water was done, the two brothers moved out. As they made their way back to the lair, Raph marked the different tunnels they passed like Donnie had directed him.


	7. Chapter 7

**I apologize for not using author's notes before, since I'm still getting used to the site. However, I want to take the time and thank all of you for reading and following me this far. It's been a wonderful experience to write this out, and each day I write brings me joy. I know I still have much to improve on and learn, but all of the feedback I receive is much appreciated. The fact that those of you who enjoy my writing and cheer me on, is what keeps me going. Again, thank you, my readers.**

**I also apologize in advance for this chapter, as it's relatively short. I've had a lot on my plate lately, but I'll still keep on writing. If the story seems slow and bland right now, I promise I have plans for future chapters that should be refreshing. It's been fun trying to portray Donnie as someone who is capable, but having a struggle with the large amount on his plate. Well, I'll let you get reading. Enjoy!**

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><p>Concentrating, Donnie peered through a microscope. His brow furrowed as he wasn't pleased with what he saw. Clearing the slide away, he pulled out a dropper and made a new slide from another tube of water. Examining the new slide, his eyes began to hurt. Having enough of looking at the different subjects, he stared upwards and a groan escaped from throat.<p>

"Ugh, looks like we will have to rely on that water source. The stuff inside our plumbing is toxic." Grumbling, Donnie turned away in disappointment. To him, it was just another thing that was piled onto the list.

Looking at the clock, he shrugged. "I really need to work on sealing the Dojo." Sighing, Donnie said to himself.

Cleaning up the test tubes, he felt aggravated with the list of things to do that kept on growing. Even though things have been crazy since their first trip to the surface, he never had this much on his plate at a single time. He felt like he was doing a good job coping, however he still had lingering thoughts that bubbled below the surface of his mind. Feeling determined, he decided to put his mind to it and give it his all.

Once his tools for his experiment were all cleaned up, he called Mikey to come help him. Hearing his brother, Mikey came running to see exactly what he needed to do.

"Mikey, I'll need your help again today to seal up the Dojo." Looking straight as his brother, Donnie pointed at different things for him to grab. Then he proceeded to gather up his share.

"Sure, bro. Am I just going to be holding things in place again?" Mikey asked.

Facing away from his brother, he replied "Yeah, pretty much."

Looking disheartened Mikey turned to face his brother's back. "But I want to use the tools. Can't I do something more exciting than hold it in place?" Mikey began to whine.

Becoming annoyed, Donnie looked at the younger turtle and rolled his eyes. "No Mikey, I need to be the one to do it. I have to make sure it's in right, so I don't have to go over it again. Besides, holding it there is a very important job." Trying to make his brother feel better, he knew if Mikey felt important he would drop it.

A smile bloomed on Michelangelo's face at the mention of important. His blue eyes glimmered in excitement and he let out a squeal as he brought his clenched hands to his face.

"Sweet, I'm important?" Jumping around in joy, he added "So I am useful, then?" Standing proudly, Mikey gleamed at the taller turtle.

"Yes, Mikey." Donnie muttered. Feeling drained, he wanted to get it over with. Burrowing his face into his hands, he was prepared to spend a long evening with his hyperactive brother. Bending over to grab tools, he felt his muscles stretch and cry out in protest from being exhausted. However, he put his whiny thoughts in the back of his mind. With arms full of tools, Donnie tilted his head, beckoning for Mikey to follow.

It hadn't taken nearly as long to seal up the Dojo as he thought it would. Since all they had to do was plug up the gaps and not repair structural things, it was a much easier task. After he was done in the Dojo, Donnie went back to his lab to work. Deciding he was going to stay up and draw up plans for the air purifier, he cleared off the main table of everything but the textbook and writing materials. Having noticed the light in the lab was still on, Leo entered.

"Hey, Donnie." Leo greeted his brother as he came over by him.

"Oh. Hey, Leo." Donnie said without looking away from his work.

"Why aren't you sleeping? It's late." Peering over Donnie's shoulder, Leo asked.

"I'm busy, besides I could ask you the same." Donnie retorted.

"Well, I see you're busy…just, try not to overwork yourself. I know you have a lot sitting on your shoulders." With concern, Leo said to his brother.

"Uh huh." Was all Donnie said; he wasn't focused on anything his brother was saying to him.

Sounds of the pencil scratching against the paper, filled the awkward silence. Leo stood behind Donnie with his arms crossed, with a stern frown on his face. Minutes passed as he stood there, and Donnie was just too absorbed in his thoughts to notice that Leo was staring at him. Giving up, Leo sighed and left, leaving Donnie to himself. As time went on, Don's eyes began to feel heavy and his fingers was starting to feel numb. It took all of his self control not to face-plant into the cold, metal table. Looking up at the clock, Donnie decided he should sleep for a couple of hours, only to have to restart his busy routine.


	8. Chapter 8

A week had passed since they had returned to the city. Everyone tried their hardest to keep themselves occupied as their options were limited. They were far from ready to start working on taking out the Kraang. However, Donnie had done a lot of work within that span and managed to seal up the lair. After finding out the water in the lair was toxic, he even blocked off the pool next to the pit, just to keep the others from falling in by accident. It was morning, and the lair seemed pretty quiet. April went with Raph to go out and collect food, which was a hard task. Most of the others were training in the Dojo, while Donnie settled himself to his project.

"Almost finished with this." Sighing in a heavy voice, Donnie tried to keep himself going.

Focusing on putting himself to work, Donnie worked on the large machine in front of him. Tubes spread out all around him, and wires hung down close to his head. Narrowing his tired eyes, he focused in on a few switches he was connecting. The tank was outside of a sealed off area where the side door to his lab was located.

Donnie's knees ached from kneeling down for a long period of time and dark bags hung heavy from his eyes. His reddish-brown eyes, were even red in the whites and he held a sullen look. From getting little sleep, to constantly working, he felt drained, but he was persistent.

"So this will need to go here. And this goes here…." Donnie sat there mumbling to himself as he connected different wires. He worked with each wire, one by one until all the wires that had hung by his head were connected to something.

Groaning, he lifted himself up from the kneeling position to step back from his project. Stretching his legs, he looked down at the ground at the different tubes. "Now, I just need to string those along the lair."

Bending over, Donnie took the thickest tube and hoisted it onto his shoulder. It was heavy, but he managed to climb the ladder next to the sealed off area. Working the tube into a gap in the make-shift metal wall, Donnie grumbled "Well at least we have a room we can use for sterilization."

Once the tube was in the room adequately, Donnie climbed down from the ladder and looked upwards.

"It's going to take about an hour to finish hooking the system up, but at least we won't have to be constantly strapped into these respirators now." Sighing, Donnie glanced towards his machine.

Eager to get it finished, Donnie pushed his exhausted body. He had dragged out all materials and the sounds of the tubes dragging across the floor rang in his ears. Each pipe and tube were slowly clamped into place, as he worked his way around the lair. The bedrooms were the most difficult to work in, since his brothers had things cluttered in them. In fact it took him longer than expected to hook up the air ways, but once he was finished, Don felt relieved. Making his way back to his lab, he made sure all the channels were in correctly. Feeling satisfied, he decided to call his brothers in.

"Guys, I've finished!" He announced in a triumphant voice.

Sounds of scattered footsteps echoed through the lair as the others made their way to his lab. Donnie stood in front of his machine with a proud smile and his hands on his hips. After they had settled themselves in front of him, Donnie shifted over to the side and flung his arms towards his creation.

"Guys, I present you with the air purifier!" with a smile, he exclaimed in an exited voice.

His brothers looked at him in awe, while Casey looked at the machine with curiosity. He refused to meet Donnie in the eyes and things have been awkward between them lately. Ever since their argument, they tried their hardest to avoid each other. Next to him, Mikey was becoming giddy with excitement.

"Awesome! Hmmm, what should I name it?" Mikey asked.

Rolling his eyes, Donnie knew he couldn't continue on until Mikey settled on a name. so he stepped back and folded his arms, waiting for his brother.

"Oh I know! Air Cleaner….wait no! Um….I know! How about The Turtle Filter?" Jumping in his spot, Mikey was excited for the name.

Sighing, Donnie thought it was a terrible name as it reminded him of the fact pet turtle tanks needed filters, and that is how they have felt in the past week. But, he knew it was pointless to argue so he just rolled his eyes and nodded.

Leo having enough of the chatter, cut his little brother off. "Nice, so how does it work? I noticed you have it pressed up against a small room where the other door is."

Donnie, grinned and was pleased with Leo's observation. "Well, there are three different channels. One channel goes into this little room behind me where we will enter and leave the lair. The other two channels are set up along the lair. The white pipes are what carries the toxic gasses out of the lair, while the black tubes provide oxygen when we need it…" getting carried away, Donnie started trailing off in his explanation.

Knowing his brother will sit there and continue on, Leo smirked. "Okay, so how us how it works then." Leo commanded.

Nodding, Donnie turned and flicked the different switches on the filter, and a low humming filled the air. Everyone in the room looked around, as they watched the slight fog in the air get sucked up into the different pipes. Feeling pleased with himself, Donnie smiled and crossed his arms. Within minutes the air had been noticeably cleaner.

"Once Raph and April get back, and I explain to them the procedure, the air should be safe to breath" Donnie said to his older brother.

Grinning, Leo understood and he clasped his brother's shoulder. "Alright, Good job, Donnie. You should rest now, you look terrible."

Shaking his head, he shrugged off his brother's hand and rolled his shoulders. "Nah, I have other things to do. Don't worry, I'm fine" Smiling weakly, Donnie tried to reassure Leo.

Sighing, Leo didn't feel like arguing, so he dragged Mikey off to go finish their training with Casey in tow. Watching them leave the lair, Donnie felt glad he had made another accomplishment. "It's still not enough, though." He thought bitterly to himself.

Looking up, Donnie came up with a small list of things to do for the night. Water was running low, so he decided he would be the one to go fetch some later. "I might as well wait for those two to come back before I leave." Donnie murmured to himself.

While Donnie waited, he kept himself occupied with the Shellraiser. It had taken everyone to sit it back upright, but once it was accessible, he found time to work on it despite his current workload. Repairing it was a lot of work though, seeing as the Kraang infiltrator got a good hit on it. However, he decided to use some Kraang tech on it to make up for it. The Shellraiser would become stronger and better than it ever was.

He concentrated as worked with his tools to repair the wiring in it. His concentration was broken when a hand landed softly on his shoulder. Not hearing someone approaching, the random touch made him jump and he stopped his punch midway.

"Oh hey, April." Donnie said weakly, as he was embarrassed for nearly hitting her.

Watching Donnie go red in the face, she smiled and replied "Hey, working hard out here aren't you?"

Feeling awkward, Don nodded and Raph grinned. "It's looking good, Donnie." Raph said as he pointed at the vehicle.

"Yeah, but it's got a lot of work that needs to be done and it's a long ways away from operational... Anyways, I was waiting for you two." He replied as he gathered up his tools.

Motioning for them to follow, he walked towards the side door and began to update them on what went on while they were gone. They understood easily, and were glad they weren't going to need to wear the devices all the time. After all the food was put away, Donnie stepped April aside.

"Um…I was wondering, if you want to come with me to refill our water stock. I know you just came back and all…" Trailing off, Donnie felt embarrassed and expected April to say no.

April eyed Donnie's face, as she noticed the bags under his eyes and that his cheeks were sunken in. She had wanted to talk to him recently anyways, so she cut him off. "Sure. I don't mind."

Feeling excited, Donnie grabbed the large bag of canisters and empty jugs. "Sweet." He said, trying to hide his enthusiasm. Without saying anything, they exchanged smiles and left the lair, following the marked walls.

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><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I decided to pick up the pace a little and I made sure to have more content in this chapter compared to last. Thanks for continuing to follow me and hopefully I'll have the next chapter up either sometime tonight or tomorrow :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm pretty sure you all will like this chapter. This was a very fun chapter for me to write and I have been building up to this moment. However, I am changing the rating to T, because I realize that my story might get a little too graphic for K+. It's nothing bad and all, just I rather be safe than sorry. Well, happy reading :) **

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><p>Donnie led the way as the two of them go closer to clean water chamber. April followed closely, as she watched Donatello take heavy steps. His body swayed side to side, as they walked and his shoulders were slumped. Even though Donnie wasn't the most active of the turtles, he lacked the energy he usually had. However, he felt like he was fine. Drawing his flashlight out, he shot the beam over towards the end. Once the light hit the pool, something dark flashed beneath it.<p>

Rubbing his eyes, he exclaimed "Woah, did you see that?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he waited for April's response. Cocking an eyebrow, she shook her head and crossed her arms.

"I didn't see anything… there is something I do see right in front of me." She said as she peered up at him.

Feeling confused, Donnie shifted his weight and turned towards her.

"What do you see?" He inquired.

"Well…I see a tired turtle standing in front of me. Frankly Donnie, you've been over working yourself. The others and I are starting to get worried." Explaining as gently as she could, she stared into his eyes with concern.

Feeling a knot form in his stomach, Donnie took a step back. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked up towards the ceiling of the tunnel and sighed. Whenever he made April worry about him, it made him feel bad. This wasn't something he meant to do, though he had to keep going.

"Don't worry, April. I'm fine. I've already discussed this with Leo and I'll rest later, okay?" trying his best to assure her, he placed his hand on shoulder and looked back into her eyes.

Grabbing his hand, she nodded, though still unconvinced. "Really, Donnie…you need to start taking care of yourself. I know you're just trying to make me feel better."

Reassuring her failed and he knew he would struggle to get out of his current predicament. Turning away, he tried to figure out something else to say when a dark flash caught his eye once more.

"Okay, that time I saw it!" Taking the flashlight, he illuminated the water in front of them. Something darted out of view as he scanned the water below. "Now, I know my eyes aren't playing tricks on me! Something's in there!" Flailing an arm over towards the water, he tried to convince her.

Wanting to calm him down, April stood over the water and waited.

Rolling her eyes, she shifted back towards the turtle and eyed him. "I don't see any-"

In the middle of her sentence, something darted into her view. "Woah!" April gasped and pointed at the pool.

"I guess you're right, Donnie." Scanning the water, she concentrated hard. As she listened and watched closely, her eyes grew wide in shock. Sounds of a heartbeat and scales sliding against concrete filled her ears.

"Donnie, I don't think it's a Kraang pet. If it was, it would have tried to hurt us. It sounds like a serpant." She explained as she stared up at Donnie, unsure what to do.

As he heard her description, something clicked in Donnie's mind. It reminded him of a certain someone.

"I think that's Karai, you're describing. It would explain the speed and size of it." Muttering out, Donnie looked back towards the pool. Clenching his fists, he settled on what he was going to do and his expression hardened. Without hesitation, Donnie removed the bag and shouted "I'm going in after her!"

Within seconds, he had dived into the cool, clear water. Water droplets flew by April's head and she threw her arms up in anger. "Well I'm not going to be left behind!" and then she followed in after him.

Clamping down tight on the respirator tube, Donnie inhaled the oxygen; it had more uses to it than just being able to breath in toxic air. Taking the light, he proceeded to scan the different channels, trying to locate his target. As the light passed a channel to his left, a dark serpent figure darted passed. "There!" he stated in his mind.

Pushing his tired limbs through the water, he tried to keep up the chase. April followed closely, making sure that he came to no harm. His body screamed in protest as he stretched his arms out for each stroke and his breathing quickened. Putting aside his pain, he pressed onwards knowing that he'll succeed. Though, what he will succeed in he wasn't quite sure. When he jumped in, he thought he had a plan. "How am I going to be able to drag her back to the lair?" He thought to himself. Feeling like he was getting closer, he pushed away his doubt. "I'll figure that out when I catch her!"

Noticing that her speed was not decreasing, he realized he was at a disadvantage. Karai was much more agile and quicker than he was. She was probably used to the currents in the water, while he wasn't up to prime since he had been in hiding. As he paddled his way through the current, he watched her dart upwards. Flashing the light to where she had disappeared, he noticed it led out of the water. Before switching the light off, he signaled April to follow upwards.

He was hoping to have a slight advantage in surprise when he reached the surface. However, once his head broke out of the water, he felt a scaly limb coil around his neck. With force, he was tugged out of the water and slammed against the ground next to the pool. A shock of pain throbbed through his body and his head jerked upwards from the impact.

A cry sounded out in his ears as April called his name. Struggling to break free of his attacker's grip, he started losing energy as his airflow was disrupted. Karai squeezed his throat tighter and tighter, causing Donnie to feel like his eyes were going to pop. Sounds of splashing echoed through the dark chamber as April got out of the water.

"Let him go!" crying out fiercely, April tried to land a hit on Karai, only for her to dodge, then use one of her snake-headed arms to grab a hold of April by the wrist.

The teeth clamped hard into her wrist as Karai jerked her upwards, causing April to cry out. Struggling to reach her weapon, April only made the pain worse . Hearing that his crush was in agony, Donnie tried to muster up the last of his strength to break free. His hands gripped at the tail coiling around his neck, tugging at it. In the middle of his efforts, a series of footsteps rushed towards them.

"Stop this!" a male voice shouted firmly.

Ceasing his struggle, Donnie gasped for air. His mouth gaped open even further in shock, since he knew this voice. As he tried to scan the darkness, the grip around his throat lessened and he took the opportunity to break free. Jumping to his feet, Donnie pulled out the flashlight and beamed it over to where he heard the voice.

What he saw amazed and shocked him at the same time. April gasped out as she had been dropped to the ground. Stunned, she didn't move from where she had landed. The two of them had a hard time comprehending what they were seeing. Dropping the light, Donnie tried to collect his thoughts as he rubbed his eyes. The light hit the ground hard, then flickered on the figure before him. What he was seeing was real, but he had some doubt.

Struggling to mouth the words, his voice stammered "M-m-ma-master S-splinter...Father?"

Those words echoed through the chamber and rang in their ears. Within a second, Donnie felt a warm grip on his shoulders as he was pulled into strong embrace.

In a voice full of pain and relief, Donnie's sensei whispered in his ear "My son".


	10. Chapter 10

Burying his face in his father's ragged kimono, Donatello listened to the sound of his breathing and heartbeat. They weren't sure how long they stood there in the silence; minutes or perhaps seconds, but what Donatello did know was that it was definitely real. Memories of the fight between Shredder and Splinter flashed through his mind, causing him to grip even harder.

"We thought we lost you." He murmured into his father's chest.

Setting Donatello back, Splinter looked down at the young turtle's face. Even though it was dark, he could see him clearly; Donatello's eyes shone brightly in the darkness.

"Well, I thought I lost you all as well. When the Shredder threw me down the pipe,I had no idea what Oroku Saki might have done to you all." In a soft voice, Splinter said to his son.

Glancing over at April, he saw her getting up from where she had landed and then looked around the dark chamber. Noticing that there wasn't anyone else, he looked back down at Donatello. "So where are you brothers?" He asked quickly, gripping his shoulders.

"They are back at the lair. We managed to get out of the city, but then we came back. It's a long story…More importantly Sensei, how did you survive?" Donatello looked up at splinter, questioningly.

A soft chuckle escaped from Splinter as spoke. "That is a long story as well. However, I have Miwa to thank." Pointing over towards Karai, she had shifted back into her humanoid form and crossed her arms.

April gasped as she was shocked by her new look, but Karai paid no mind. Donatello eyes widen in shock and he turned away from his father to get a closer look at her.

"Incredible!" Remarking her appearance, he tried to get up closer. Stiffening, Karai shifted back and let out a warning hiss. Her glowing green eyes narrowed as she prepared to strike.

"I wouldn't do that, Donatello. It seems she lost most of her memories. The only thing she knows is that I'm her father." Warning his son, he gripped his shoulder.

"Oh okay." He replied meekly and looked back at Splinter.

"Well, Sensei I noticed the air here seems pretty clean. I guess because it's isolated. However, we should get to the lair. It's safe there." Explaining to his father, Donatello realized something. The air heading towards the lair wasn't safe to breathe, and Splinter didn't have a respirator.

Using quick thinking, Donnie pulled out his T-Phone and dialed up Mikey.

"Hello?" echoed a voice through the phone.

"Hey Mikey, there's no time to explain…but I need you and Raph to bring two respirators up to the clean water channel. I'm counting on you." Speaking swiftly, he waited for Mikey's "okay" and hung up.

"Master Splinter, wait here with Karai. April and I will be right back." Motioning towards the water, Donnie's tired voice held confidence.

Splinter's eyes brightened at the idea of being able to return home with his family. "Alright, my son. Make haste, I'm eager to be home with my family."

At his father's words, Donnie dived into the water with April following closely behind. When he hit the cool water, he suddenly remembered how fatigue he actually was. His throat still ached from where Karai had strangled him. However, his discovery was what kept him going and it fueled him as he made his way through the cold waters. Soon after, he reached the channel where his meeting point was and made his way to the surface. He had hoped the guys had already been there and were waiting. When his head broke through the surface, a sudden chill smacked him in the face as he climbed out. Turning around, he reached his arm out to help April out of the water.

"Donnie, what's the big deal?" Raph's loud voice echoed in his ear.

"Guys, you won't believe who we found! Wait right here!" Donnie exclaimed as he took the devices from them and headed back into the water.

Leaving them bewildered, Raph looked over towards April who was drenched in water.

"April, can you explain what just happened?" Watching her squeeze water from her hair, he folded his arms over his plastron.

Returning his look, her blue eyes glimmered and a smile broke out on her face. "Guys, it's Master Splinter!" failing to contain her excitement, her voice peaked upwards.

"Wha-?" Both turtles said in unison as they looked at her incredulously.

Clutching the sides of his head, Raph's mouth gaped open. "What do you mean Master Splinter? How?" Not believing what he was hearing, he threw his arms out in front of him.

Mikey's eye went wide. "But we saw what happened to him!" He began to act out the scene before the two of them, when Raph punched him to make him stop.

Not liking the hit, Mikey yelled out "Hey!" and flailed his arms around in anger.

"Guys, calm down!" April tried to get the two of them to listen to her.

Within minutes of them bumbling around the small tunnel, their moment was interrupted by splashes from the pool. Three tall figures climbed out of the pool, causing Mikey and Raph to cry out in shock. "Master Splinter!"

Both Mikey and Raph ran to their father and were pulled into a hug. "You're alive!"

Smiling softly, Splinter looked down at the two young turtles clinging to him and replied "Yes, my sons."

Minutes passed as he let his sons cling to his soaked body. However, he was eager to return home and dry off. "Come my sons, let us make haste."

Hearing their father give the order, they let go. He walked passed them with Karai slithering close behind in her serpent form.

"Woah, is that Karai?" Leaning close, Mikey whispered to Donnie.

"Uh, yeah…" Donnie replied weakly, as he their fight was fresh in his mind. "Try to keep your distance from her, for right now. She only trusts Sensei."

Nodding, Mikey understood and closely followed behind the taller turtle. Filing in line, they all made their way back to the lair. As soon as they reached the lair entrance, Donnie moved towards the front. Then opening the entrance to the lair, he motioned everyone inside, while closing the door behind him. After they all got inside, he activated a switch and the air inside the cramped room became clear within minutes. Once it was safe, Donnie opened the other door to allow everyone through.

Without a second to spare Mikey rushed out of the room and cried out "Leo, come here...you gotta see this, bro!"

Within minutes, Leo popped his head into the lab doorway. "What? Why is everyone crowded in –" and when his eyes met Master Splinter's he gasped out. Not knowing what to say, his eyes grew wide.

Seeing his other son, Splinter smiled and stroked his beard. Raising a hand, he motioned for Leo to come.

"Master Splinter!" Rushing over to his father, he had been the one that clung to him the hardest.

"I'm home, Leonardo." Chuckling softly, he patted Leo on the head.

"Hai, sensei." Leo murmured as let go of his father.

The four brothers smiled at each other and then back at Splinter. Casey had come into the lab to see what all the commotion was about. "Woah! It's Master Splinter!" Casey cried out.

"It sure is!" Raph relied as he glanced over at his friend.

Noticing a large scaly serpent behind them, Casey pointed over towards it. "Is that who I think it is?"

Leo hadn't noticed Karai standing in the back corner and he let out a gasp as she shifted back into her humanoid form. Flicking her tongue out in annoyance, Karai hissed when all eyes were on her.

"Yes, that is my daughter Miwa. She's the one who fished me out of the water and took care of me when I was injured." Master Splinter explained.

Remembering that him and the others were soaked, he walked passed Casey and motioned for everyone to follow. "Come, let's get warmed up. I want to get out of these ragged clothing." he said as the sounds of his tail dragging across the ground accompanied his voice.


	11. Chapter 11

**Again, I would like to thank all of you for following me so far. This has been an interesting experience for me. When I first came up with this idea, I had no intentions of having it be this long. In fact, I had no idea that I was going to be creating two stories off of it. There is still much to tell, as the turtles finally have their family whole. I hope you all continue to enjoy reading and please rate/review. The reviews help me to know what I'm doing wrong or right. Happy reading! :)  
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><p>Once everyone was cleaned up and dried off, they sat in the Dojo, waiting for Master Splinter. Karai sat towards the back of the group and eyed everyone with caution. The room filled with an awkward silence as Splinter entered from his room and stood before the young ones. Each turtle looked up towards their sensei from their knelt down positions, eyes brimming with happiness.<p>

Today had been a changing point for Donatello. It felt like the weights he had lugged around on his shell had been lifted from him and he was happy to have his father back. He was eager to hear their father's story. Shifting his head forward, he made eye contact with Leo, who dipped his head in response.

"So Master Splinter, how did you survive in the sewers all this time?" With a peaked interest, Leo looked up towards his father.

Stroking his beard, Master Splinter let out a soft hum and contemplated on where to start. It was indeed a long story, one that his sons deserved to hear.

"Well, as I already stated before, Miwa fished me out of the water. I was badly injured, but I was able to nurse my wounds with her help. We tried to make it to the surface after a month or so, after what had happened…only to be chased back down here. There were some parts of the sewers that had remained untouched by the Kraang, however lately those areas are growing smaller in numbers. We eventually met up with Leatherhead, who was used to the Kraang pollution. Though, we haven't seen him in a little over a week. He went out on a food scavenge run, but never returned. " Looking down at his students, the large rat gave a heavy sigh.

Out of all of them, Michelangelo took the news the hardest, since he was the closest to Leatherhead. "I'm sure he's out there somewhere." He muttered as he looked down at the ground. Twisting his face in grief, something clicked in Mikey's head.

"Actually, he has to be out there! What if the Kraang are holding him prisoner? What if they are experimenting on him? We have to go find him!" In desperation for his friend, Mikey started panicking, while pacing all over the Dojo.

Leo quickly stood up and grabbed a hold of Mikey by the wrist. "Calm down." In a stern voice, Leo directed him. He knew how his brother felt, but it was too dangerous.

"We can't risk that right now. How would we be able to break him out, undetected? Think about it Mikey, we aren't up to par and we can't fight hundreds of Kraang bots at one once." Trying not to be harsh on his little brother, he gave him a softer look.

Taking his free hand, he grasped onto Mikey's shoulder, as he looked him straight in the eyes "He's our friend, but we will put him in more harm by going out there and risking our cover. We will get him in time, he's a survivor."

"He's right, Michelangelo. It's far too risky and from what I can tell, you are not ready to fight the Kraang. Leatherhead will be okay; his spirit is strong." Master Splinter chimed in, while beckoning for his sons to sit back down.

Mikey turned away as he sat down. He was eager to go find his friend, but he knew his brother and father were right. Settling, he folded his arms across his plastron and grunted. Moments passed as he didn't know what else to say, so he looked back up at his father, trying to keep himself from fidgeting.

After watching Mikey's episode, a hard lump had formed in Donnie's aching throat, as he feared the worst for their friend. He wanted to believe like Mikey; after all, his logical side was already disproved once today. "There's always hope." Donnie thought to himself.

"In fact, I even agree with the statement that we are not up to par. I can tell by looking at all of you that these last few months took a toll on you. It's now your turn to explain how you survived." Motioning his hand towards his students, Master Splinter waited for an explanation.

As each of them explained what had happened, Master Splinter stayed silent and would nod at each detail. Once they were finished, he scratched his head while stared down at them. "Well, I will let you all rest tonight. Tomorrow we start training; however, I want to speak to Leonardo alone right now."

With the last few words he uttered, he waved everyone away and signaled for them to leave. Donnie slowly eased himself up from where he had sat. "By the way Donatello, make sure you rest and not tinker around in your laboratory." Master Splinter said with a soft look accompanied by a voice that held authority.

"Hai, Sensei." Donnie replied weakly as he walked wearily out of the room. Heading towards the bathroom, he rubbed his head and made his way past his other brothers. Karai stayed close to the Dojo and hissed when anyone approached her. "It'll take some time for her to get used to us. I can't believe all her memories are gone." Contemplating to himself, Donnie opened the bathroom door and stepped inside.

The door clicked softly as he shut it behind him. Taking a few steps towards the mirror, Donnie's stomach turned when he saw his reflection. "I do look awful." He thought to himself bitterly. Rubbing his cheek, he noticed that dark bruises were forming around his throat. Not only was there a black ring around his neck, but his whole body looked beaten and frail. Reaching for a container of water, his mind registered they were missing.

"Ugh, I forgot to bring the water back!" Throwing his arms up in the air, he learned back and huffed out his frustration. Glancing back in his reflection, he realized his face held a sullen look to it. "I need to shape up… I can't let the others see me this way."

Shrugging off his appearance, he turned his back to the mirror. A groan escaped his throat as he leaned forward towards the door. "I ache all over. The water will have to wait." Whispering to himself, he exited the bathroom and headed off towards his room. Mikey tried to talk to him, but he just shrugged him off. "Not now, Mikey."

Looking dejected, Mikey stopped in his tracks and watched the taller turtle walk away. Donatello didn't have the patience to keep his younger brother company at the moment. Lately, he's kept to himself unintentionally; regretting it, he decided he would apologize to him later.

Inside his room, Donnie felt at ease. Even though he wanted to be back in his lab, his room was a place where his mind could flow freely. He had to resist the urge to work on his ideas and on the list of things that needed to be done. Each of his soft footsteps echoed throughout the room, accompanied by his breathing. Avoiding the books in his path, he made it to his bed without collapsing. Lowering himself, he let out a sigh of relief as he could finally relax. The bed creaked under his weight as he shifted himself to a comfortable position, which was easier this time, since he didn't have the respirator clinging to him. From there, he had drifted off to sleep with a slight grin on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, everyone was cheerful and lively. Donatello was awoken by various noises that sounded in the living room. He wasn't quite sure what they were up to, yet he didn't really care. In fact, he didn't even want to get out of bed. But when thoughts crossed his mind, he felt eager to get up and work on his project. Feeling energized, Don leapt from the bed, only to flinch in pain. His muscles still felt sore and deep down he knew he needed to start conditioning. Putting off his negative thoughts, he left his room and greeted by Mikey.

"Morning D!" in a cheerful voice, Mikey said.

Lifting an arm, Don gave an awkward wave. He remembered how he had distanced Mikey in the past week and felt bad about it. "Morning, Mikey…uh...Hey, I just want to say I'm sorry. I know I've been neglecting you lately and I apologize for shrugging you off last night." Looking at Mikey, his face matched his apologetic voice.

Grinning, Mikey jumped over to his brother and grabbed him for a hug, causing Donnie to grunt in protest. "No worries! Besides, you had a lot going on. Come get some breakfast with us. Master Splinter wants us to train afterwards." Letting go of the taller turtle, he pointed towards the kitchen.

"Ugh" Donnie thought to himself. He was going to have to get used to their old regiment, not that he actually minded. It was just that he was eager to get to work on the Shellraiser. Knowing that it was futile to resist, he followed his younger brother into the kitchen.

There wasn't an option to be picky about what he ate, since they had to go on food scavenge runs. It was hard to get anything that was delicious, but it was better than worms an algae. Opening a package of instant oat meal, Donnie filled his bowl and popped it in the microwave. The others were eating similar things, such as gruel and cereal.

Once the food was warm, he took slow bites while mulling over different ideas. It would be much easier to get through the city, if they could go undetected. If he studies the Kraang ship they have hidden away, could he possibly imitate their cloaking device? "Hmmm…I wonder." Shifting his head back, he calculated different possibilities of that technology.

His thoughts were interrupted with Leo's voice ringing in his ear. "Uh…earth to Donnie?"

Darting his eyes to his right, he noticed Leo was standing over him. "Donnie, come on! We're waiting on you." Motioning for Donnie to stand up, he walked out of the kitchen.

"I need to snap out of my thoughts right now. It's time to train." Thinking to himself, he got up and followed.

Everyone stood in a circle with Master Splinter in the center. They had their weapons ready, while waiting for their orders.

"Alright, I'm going to assign your sparring partner. Michelangelo with Raphael, Donatello with Leonardo, and Casey with April. I need to see how well you each fight each other. Miwa will sit out and wait her turn." Exiting the circle, Master Splinter turned and raised his hand. "Hajime." With his command he lowered his hand and stepped back.

"Me, with Donnie? Man this will be easy." Leo teased, with a grin on his face

"Heh. Mikey's a cakewalk too." Raph chimed in, while rolling his shoulders.

Concentrating on his opponent, Casey smirked and added to the trash talk "Just because you're a girl, doesn't mean I'll go easy on you, Red."

Rolling his eyes, Donnie hated getting trashed talked. He was also annoyed that Casey disrespected April, but he had to stay focus. Leo may not be exactly at hundred percent, but it wasn't like he was either. Leo eyed Donnie's bruised body, figuring out weak points. The others had begun sparring and the sounds of weapons clanging, rang through the air.

Without warning, Leo rushed towards Donnie and gave a feint. Flanking right, he swung his katanas with a fluid motion. Donnie rolled to the side and blocked with his staff. Gaining his footing, he shoved Leo away using his weapon. Then darting forward, he shoved the staff in front of him, hoping to land a hit. Leo blocked and knocked his staff away.

Noticing Leo losing his balance, he used the opportunity to regain his form and then hook his left leg to knock him over. A loud "thud" sounded as Leo's shell hit the ground; the impact caused him to lose his grip on his swords. Don then rushed towards him and brought the staff to his face.

"Man, this is easy!" Donnie said with a huge grin on his face. His breath whistled through the gap in his teeth. "My win, Leo."

Groaning, Leo admitted defeat and shoved the staff away from his face. Donnie leaned forward and offered his brother a hand. Grasping his hand, Donnie mustered up the strength and helped Leo to his feet. He was ecstatic to win, but Don knew there was a handicap. Still, he took the victory. Once they were collected, they watched the rest of the others finish their matches.

Raph ended up pinning Mikey down, while April had disarmed Casey and cornered him. A smirk formed on Donnie's face, as Casey had his butt handed to him. "Heh, that's what you get." He thought to himself. Mikey was begging for Raph to stop sitting on his shell and to let him up. The whining was drowned out by sounds of Raph's laughter.

"Yame!"

At the sound of their Sensei's voice, everyone stopped what they were doing and stood straight.

"I see we have much we have to work on." Stroking his beard, he glanced at each of them. "Alright, we should start exercises to fix your forms."

"Hai, Sensei!" Everyone except Casey said in unison. Noticing this, April jabbed him in the side using his elbow. "Hai…Sensei!" He gasped out in pain.

Their training ended within a couple of hours. Miwa had joined in on their form building exercises, but stuck close to Splinter. She wasn't as nearly as cautious as she was the day before, but she hadn't completely warmed up yet. Everyone was surprised by how well she moved and Leo tried to complement her, only to get ignored. Leo ended up looking away with a dejected look on his face and was the first to leave. Once everyone exited the Dojo, Donnie headed towards his lab to expand on his idea that he had during breakfast.

"I'm sure it can be done!" He muttered to himself.

The door to his lab creaked, as he pressed his weight on it. He tried not to make unnecessary movements, since his body still ached. In a weird way, he sort of welcomed the feeling, as it had been a while since he felt the results of a good day of training. Glancing over at Timothy, he felt a slight twinge of guilt, but knew that there wasn't anything he could do about it right now. He had no mutagen supply to create an antidote for him. It also not safe for him rights now either.

Walking over towards his main table, he began to shift through his thoughts. Writing down everything that came to mind, Donnie compiled a list of ideas. Finally, it hit him. "It's perfect! I just need to gather up all the Kraang tech that we've collected and put it to use." Feeling giddy with excitement, Donnie put himself to work.


	13. Chapter 13

Within a week, a routine had been established for Donatello. Sleep, eat, train and work on his to do list. The top of his list was currently fixing up the Shellraiser. He was determined to take it topside so that he could evaluate the situation of the city up close. However, even though the routine seemed very simple, he hadn't felt this good in months and he was starting to shake the rust off his skills.

Kneeling on the cold, stone ground, Donatello was putting the last few touches on his baby. His muscles twitched in excitement, as he finally managed to succeed; he had figured out the Kraang's secret to their stealth ships. Now they could go up to the surface and scout. This will make it easier to come up with plans on how to fight their enemies.

"Oh man! I can't wait to take this baby out for a spin! Heh heh heehhh!" Giggling into his wielding mask, he set down his welding torch and stood back.

Taking off the mask, he rolled his shoulders as he looked over his work. Huffing out, he placed his hands to his sides and smiled proudly. "That should do it! Man, I'm so excited!" He said with a face full of energy. Collecting his tools, he left the vehicle to put his tools away. Taking each step with a bounce, he put his tools away and went to look for Leonardo.

He found Leonardo meditating in the Dojo. It was something he did often, Donnie figured it was his way of coping with things.

"Hey Leo!" trying to get his brother's attention, he walked over to him.

"Yeah, Donnie?" Leo mumbled.

"I have some awesome news." Trying to contain his excitement, he kept the tone to his voice down.

Standing up, Leo groaned and turned to face his brother. "What is it?" he asked as he folded his arms.

"I fixed the Shellraiser, come see!" Without waiting for his brother's reply, he shifted his head and exited the Dojo.

"I guess this is worth my time." Leo muttered as he followed Donnie to his lab.

Waiting for Leo to strap up into his respirator, Donnie fidgeted with a controller. Leo rolled his eyes at Donnie's behavior. "You're acting like Mikey right now." He remarked.

An annoyed frown settled on Donnie's voice and he crossed his arms. "Please, I'm nothing like Mikey. I'm just excited, as I have every right to be." Donatello sassed.

Scoffing, Leo just shrugged and didn't reply. Once he was ready, Donatello led the way out to his vehicle. As the Shellraiser came into Leo's view, his eyes grew wide in awe. "Is that the same vehicle we lifted back up a while back?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I present to you the new and improved Shellraiser! I used the metal we hijacked and scrapped to plate the outer shell, to enhance the armor. I also added a few new functions, one will be stealth. The green was just paint I put over the silver, after all it is the Shellraiser." Holding confidence in his voice, Donatello showed off his masterpiece.

"It's amazing! So why are you only showing me this?" Pressing his chin, he looked towards Donnie for an answer.

"I'm only showing you; because I want know your opinion on when we should take it topside. If I show everyone, then they'll want to take it out right this second. You tend to be the most levelheaded of us." Explaining, Donnie rubbed the back of his neck, trying to hide his eagerness to take it for a spin.

After listening to his brother's explination, he stood there and mulled it over. He's been feeling cramped down there like the rest of them. If they could go through the city undetected, then it would be the perfect way to scout. Coming up with a decision, he looked over at the Shellraiser.

"Alright, we'll take it for a spin tonight. After all, we need to see what we are dealing with up close. I'll talk to Sensei about it, so don't say anything until I get his approval." Ordering his brother, he held a stern voice.

Grinning, Donnie dipped his head in acknowledgement and followed Leo back into the lair. Once he sealed up the lab, Donnie busied himself while waiting for Leo to get back to him. He pulled out schematics and went over them again, fine tuning details. He still needed to make a water purifier, but he hadn't gotten to it yet, since they had a source for clean water.

Feeling impatient, Donnie paced around his lab. "Man, what's taking him so long?" Muttering to himself, he glanced towards the door. Within minutes of his complaining, his brother came back to the room.

"Okay, I got Sensei's permission. However, it's a scouting mission only. Meaning we can't engage in any fights, no matter how much we want to. If we blow our cover, we won't be able to have the element of surprise when we need it." Keeping a stern face, Leo wanted to make sure Donnie knew he meant it. However, Leo also knew he was the least one to worry about.

"Alright, well make sure you make it clear to the others." Replying back, Donnie picked up a controller and began to fiddle with it in his hands.

"I will. Well, let's go gather them up. " With Leo's order, they left the lab in search of the others.

Once everyone has been rounded up, Leo and Donnie led them straight to the Shellraiser. The idea that they would go topside excited all of them, however April and Casey looked concerned as well. When they reached the Shellraiser, they gasped and awed at the sight.

"It's so shiny!" Mikey exclaimed as he ran to the vehicle and rubbed up against it.

"Hey! Stop that, I just polished it!" Running over to Mikey, he dragged the shorter turtle away while he whined with protest.

"Okay, so this will be safe to take up into the city?" April asked, with an uncertain face.

Seeing April's uncertainty, Donnie made his way over to her and gripped her hand. "It's safe. The kraang won't be able to see or detect us." Quickly shooting a glace over at Leo, he added, "As long as someone doesn't run over or hit anything."

Seeing Donnie's confidence made April feel a lot better, however Casey scoffed at how close Don was to her. He still hadn't gotten over their dispute. Cutting the conversation short, Leo raised his hand and said "Alright team, let's move out!"

"There's the fearless leader I know." Raph commented as he climbed inside the vehicle.

Moaning with annoyance, Leo shifted his eyes upwards as he climbed in after. One by one, they all gathered inside and went to their stations. The different consoles looked new and updated, which Donnie thanked the Kraang tech, as well as their broken equipment they no longer use inside the lair.

Without delay, they started up the Shellraiser and headed out on the familiar route. Each of them tensed up as they drew closer and closer. Once they busted into alley way, Donnie activated the cloaking device. Focusing his attention to the screen in front of him, his eyes grew in shock like the rest of them. His stomach curled as the sight of mutant civilians walked past, followed by Kraang bots.

The city itself looked bizarre and alien to them. A dark haze of green and grey gasses flowed through the air, illuminated by purple glows from the buildings. Every plant that grew in the city, had been transformed into crystals. A lot the buildings had damage to them and were beginning to crumble. Any of the cars that had sat in the road had been flattened and squished into the road, making them unrecognizable. Adding to the squished metal, the roads were rocky and uneven, as they held heavy traffic from Kraang machines. This was not the city they knew and loved. As another group of the mutants passed, Donnie tried his hardest not to gag.

Each of them looked grotesque, as their mouths were wide gaps with sharp teeth. Many tentacles from their heads squirmed in the air and their eyes looked yellow and glossy. Void of emotion. He couldn't stand the sight of ugly, slimy pink flesh. The only thing that looked human on them, were their legs, which they used to march onwards. "They have Kraang qualities alright, it's sickening" Donnie thought to himself in disgust. Glancing over towards his brothers, he noticed he wasn't the only one trying keep calm. None of them knew what to say, as they tensed up and looked away from the sight, however they were taking it better than their human companions.

As April and Casey looked at the mutants, they struggled to not vomit as the fear of their parents looking like that took over. Seeing that April was distraught, he hoisted himself from his chair and knelt down next to her. Gripping her hand, he said softly "If I can get a sample of that mutagen they used, I can fix them." Nodding, April was at a loss of words and took some comfort into Donnie's words. Casey also heard Donnie's words, and even though they had their disputes, he felt like he could count on him to save his family.

Once he saw April's face soften a bit, he let go of her hand and tried his hardest to muster an assuring smile. However, deep down, Donnie wondered how he was going to get enough of that supply and DNA to fix every citizen. Deciding to worry about that later, he went back into his seat and looked at each of his brothers. Leo's voice rang out "I know it looks bad, but we need to see the full force of what we are up against. So we need to stay strong, okay?" and without waiting for a reply, he drove the Shellraiser around the corner making sure to avoid hitting anything.

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><p><strong>Hey everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that this chapter is lengthier than what I normally put out, but I didn't want to break it and make it awkward to read. Besides, after not updating for a few days, you all deserved a little more. I just want to thank you all again for following me this far. As I continue to write, I can feel my writing slowly improving, even if it is just a little. It's been a lot of fun writing. Again, thank you all and I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Hopefully, I'll get another update out soon ^.^<br>**


	14. Chapter 14

Driving down what was once a familiar street, the feelings of uneasiness grew. Each of them kept their eyes peeled, taking in every detail of their surroundings. Clenching his jaw, Donnie tried to calculate every single detail in his mind. It was a difficult task, since the road was harsh.

"Man, my shell is getting hit the wrong way." Mikey commented, breaking the silence.

His brothers, including himself grunted out in agreement. Not in the mood for chit-chat, Donnie refocused himself. He could tell Leo was struggling to keep the vehicle from hitting anything. After all, there were many objects cluttering the street, as well as civilian mutants. "It's a disaster" holding a grave look in his eyes, he thought to himself.

As Leonardo swerved the vehicle out of the way of a Kraang droid, Donnie's arm slammed into the side of the vehicle. Wincing, he dryly called out "ow" as he rubbed the tender skin.

Grunting as his shell slammed into his seat, Raph became annoyed. "Leo, watch your driving will ya!"

"Guys, I think we should go around the next corner and pull over. The Shellraiser made some noise back there." Still rubbing his arm, Donnie pointed out.

Following his younger brother's suggestion, Leo made a tight turn into a dark alleyway that was condensed with the smog. Right on mark, Donnie's call was needed. In no time, Kraang droids and the mutants crowded the road where the vehicle had made a ruckus.

"That was a close one." Heaving a breath of relief, Leonardo leaned back in his seat.

Throwing his arms in the air, Mikey exclaimed. "Geeze, this whole city is messed up!"

Under his breath, Casey muttered. "No kidding. It's Kraang utopia out there."

Within no time, the contents of the vehicle fidgeted and were buzzing. Donnie stayed quiet as he pinched between his eyes, contemplating. "I need to see more of the city, but we can't move right now. Also, I need to adjust the Shellraiser tires and flexibility when we get back to the lair. Not only that, but I also need to come up with a solution to gather test subjects…" going a mile a second, his thought process went into overdrive.

Feeling his blood pumping through his veins, Don chewed at his bottom lip. His muscles tensed as he was starting to lose concentration from all the noise around him. Not being able to take it any longer, he twisted his face in frustration.

"Everyone, be quiet! I'm trying to think here!" with harsh voice, he spat out.

Realizing what he had done, he became flushed in the face. Gulping, he rubbed the back of his head and met each of their eyes. He was known for having a short fuse, but the sudden outburst was a little much. None of them said anything, partly from shock.

Letting out a slight awkward laugh, Donnie lifted his hands apologetically. "Oops…um…anyways, since the small mob cleared out…maybe, we can explore a bit more before heading back to the lair?"

Staring at Leo who was in the driver's seat, he squirmed awkwardly from the eyes on him. The seconds seemed to edge on slowly, making him feel like the awkward silence was grating against him. Suddenly, Leo snapped back into focus and dipped his head.

"Right! I'll try to be more careful about driving this around. It'll be good if we can see some more before calling it a day." With an affirming voice, Leo replied as he turned back to the wheel.

Once the tension was broken, everyone settled back in their stations. Leaning over towards April, Mikey whispered in her ear "Dude, don't you think that him and Raph switched places? He sounded just like him!"

Catching Mikey's statement, Raph snapped his head around. "Hey, shut it!"

Snickering, Mikey returned back to his seat to avoid Raph's wrath. Sighing, Donnie heard it too and shrugged it off. "Stupid." He muttered to himself. Crossing his arms, he stared back at the alienated world around them. Recalling his previous calculations, he decided to expand on them. Darting his gaze towards different things such as buildings and machinery, one particular thing caught his eye.

Standing behind crumbling buildings in the distance stood alien made structures surrounding TCRI. "Of course!" As his reddish-brown eyes grew wide in realization, he began muttering to himself. "TCRI is where the brain is. All the new buildings are huddled up to it, as if it's the life force."

Using quick thinking, Donnie looked back up towards the front. "Leo, see if you can move closer to the TCRI building." he requested with an eager voice.

Perking his voice upwards, Leo's face held confusion "TCRI? But-"

Cutting Leo off, Donnie said "Please just do it, don't question it."

Scowling, Leo didn't appreciate the attitude the other turtle displayed. "Listen Donnie, I know you mean well. But, don't forget that I'm the leader and as leader I need to know exactly what you are trying to get us into." Using a stern tone, Leo firmly explained.

Burying his face into his hands, Donnie realized how he was acting. "Great, I'm doing it again." Grudgingly, he thought to himself. Wiping his face, he shrugged off the self-loathing. If they were going to do this, he needed to avoid doing what he had done months ago.

"Alright, well I think we should get a closer look at the building. It's the main center of the newer buildings. So think of it as a queen in a beehive. If we spot its weakness, then we have a chance of coming up with a plan to cripple the Kraang." Trying to be a simple as possible, Donnie explained.

Showing some concern on his face, Leo replied. "Don't you think that's a little risky Don? Going right up to the main center of the enemy's territory, sounds like a bad idea. Will I be able to get the Shellraiser through that?

"Yes, it'll be fine. The cloaking is on and there's nothing in here for them to pick up signal on. So we are practically air to them." Reassuring his brother, he was eager to get his way.

"Alright, for the sake of finding a weakness, I'll go along with this. But if I deem it too dangerous, I'm pulling out. Got it?" Making himself clear, he said it as a statement and not a question.

Nodding, Donnie was content with the compromise and went back to absorbing details. As they weaved their way down the road, it increasingly became harsher on the vehicle. Everyone had to grit their teeth, from all the rattling. Turning a corner, Leo slammed on the brakes as they entered the next street. The sudden stop caused everyone to fling forward in their seats, but before they complained the sight before them took their speech.

The buildings ahead were complex and intricate looking. Silvers and purples melded together in a bizarre fashion. Each building looked different from each other, obviously to show that the complexes served different purposes. In fact, the only building they were familiar with was TCRI. Unchanged, it towered over the rest of them.

However, the buildings weren't what came as a shock, but the horde of mutants and Kraang huddled around the area. He had wondered where the large number the citizens of the city had gathered. From behind the crumbling buildings, he wasn't able to see the sea of mutants earlier, but now he had his answer. Donnie's reddish-brown eyes soaked everything in, as his mind went into super computer mode. His mouth hung open, showing his gap tooth.

"Holy cow!" April gasped down in disbelief.

Everyone else was speechless except for Leo. He whipped his head around and focused on Donnie. "I'm not getting any closer than this. If you want your looksee, you're gonna have to do it here." Making himself clear, Leo's eyes burned with authority.

"Uh huh." Was all Donnie let out, as he scanned the scene.

With each second, Donnie felt himself tensing up with pressure. He held a knot in his stomach, as he clenched his hands. "Weak spot, weak spot. Man, how am I going to fix all this? There's just so much…ugh, get it together, you can do this." Fumbling with his thoughts, Don tried to keep his cool as his eyes darted side to side. "Okay, that building looks like a warehouse. Probably where they keep the mutagen. That one looks like a holding block of some sort." His thoughts were interrupted by a sight that caught his eye.

Two heavy set Kraang droids were leading a Kraathatrogon into another complex. The ground shook as the humongous, alien worm inched as it followed. "That one is ginormous. They must be leading it to the mutagen farm. Okay, I've got all the info I need." Holding himself steady in his chair, he made a quick glance at everyone. Casey and April looked horrified, as they focused on the mutants.

He couldn't blame them. Masses of mutants swarmed around the complexes, like mindless drones. The sickening sight of the forms swaying as they walked mindlessly made their stomachs churn. Their families could be in there. Darting their eyes to the different views, the droids and mutants marched passed them in waves. Also, Donnie considered the fact that they were stalled in the middle of a road; it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.

Meeting Leo's eyes, he affirmed he had all he needed. Leo turned back to the wheel and shifted the gears. "Alright, time to head out. Let's go home and think things over." With a somber voice, he said.

Donnie agreed and closed his eyes. Lightly groaning, he knew he had his work cut out for him. However, he was happy his Shellraiser rebuild was a success. There was some tweaking and adjustments needed, but he was satisfied in that department. Underneath it all, he felt turmoil bubble below the surface, eating at him. "At least I know what we are up against." Quietly, he mumbled to himself.

Leo drove the vehicle down the familiar route and made it back to the ally where they had come from. Entering the dark tunnels, Donnie switched off the cloaking device and made some calibrations to his station. Silence filled the air, as no one was in the mood to talk. Not even Mikey. In fact he sat there with an odd contemplated look on his face, which was weird. However, Donnie was thankful he was silent at least.

Once the vehicle was parked, they exited and walked up to the door of the lair. Noticing April's disheartened face, Donnie grasped her shoulder. Not knowing what to say, he just gave her a comforting look, meeting her blue eyes. Appreciating the sentiment, April replied with a weak smile and gripped his hand.

She then had to let go because he needed to activate the protocol to cleanse the chamber. After the task was finished, they entered his lab and stood around awkwardly. Feeling fatigue crashing down on them, Leo told them all that they should sleep and that he would go report to Master Splinter. Without complaints, they followed his word except for Donnie. Standing there in the center of his lab, he stared at the floor, lost in his thoughts.

Being left alone his lab, Donnie felt like he could relax. Taking off the respirator, he huffed out and glanced around the lab. His eyes settled on the open door and he decided he wanted some privacy. The silence was filled with the sound of his heavy steps as he made it to the door. Slowly, it creaked as he softly closed it.

"There's no way I'm going to bed. I need to go chart down all my observations and calculations." He muttered to himself harshly.

Turning his attention to the main table, he brought out his writing utensils and large sheets of paper. Furrowing his brow, he concentrated his eyes on every detail that he etched. The feelings of wanting to make it perfect and concise consumed him, as the night went on.

"This is only the beginning." In a cold voice, he bit out.

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><p><strong>Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the delay for this release. I was just feeling down and stuck in a rut with the plot. But, I managed to get through it and I've been re-inspired. Thank you for continuing to follow this story. I want to also thank my readers and friends for keeping me motivated and wanting me to continue. Also, I want to give special thanks to John Smith for looking over this chapter for me and for being an awesome friend. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Notes: Hey everyone! I'm extremely sorry for the late update. However, this is a pretty long chapter and I did not want to split it up. I hope you enjoy it! Also, special thanks to John Smith for looking over this and helping me edit.**

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><p>For the next week, Donatello locked himself up in his lab after training. Settling back into the routine of trying to get everything on his to-do list done, he avoided everyone. Master Splinter had told them to avoid going up to the city for now, until they could come up with a clear plan. This made Donnie try his hardest to create a chart of different things they could try doing. Since he found out TCRI still stood, he mulled over the idea of hacking them.<p>

Typing away at his computer, Donnie's face held a hard expression. His eyes were sore from staring at the screen for hours. "Come on." He muttered to himself. Tensing up his shoulders, he looked at various codes.

The door to his lab creaked open, and footsteps sounded as they walked towards him. "Hey, D."

"Oh hey, Mikey." Without turning his head, he replied.

With curious eyes, Mikey leaned over his brother's shoulder to get a look at the screen. "Whatcha workin' on?"

"I'm hacking into TCRI" he replied curtly.

"Ohhh…wait what?" with confusion, Mikey replied.

"I'm hacking into TCRI, I just said that." Feeling slightly annoyed, he turned to Mikey.

Blue eyes brimming with concern, Mikey responded. "I heard you bro, but does Leo know? You've been locking yourself up in here."

"Nah, I haven't told him. Also, I've been busy. I haven't locked myself in here. After all, you were able to come in." Replying coldly, he shifted in his chair. Then he added "So what did you want anyways?"

Not appreciating his brother's tone, the younger turtle huffed and gave him a glare. "Hey, what's your problem? I've been worried about you, bro. Like seriously, you eat breakfast, then come train, then you sit in here for the rest of the day. I know I'm not super smart and stuff, but I can worry about you. Besides you've been acting all harsh during your training. I've still got this bruise on my arm! You're like a second Raph!" Waving his arms around, he tried to make his point clear.

Groaning, Donnie wiped his face and shrugged. "Sorry about that Mikey. Look, I'm fine okay. I've just been under stress as you can tell. After all, I am the only one who knows how to analyze DNA, and hack, as well as build and fix things." As he spoke his voice rose and frustration came pouring out. "So, if it looks like I've been hiding in here, then I can't help it. I have to get things done and you're being useless by distracting me. So let me do this!"

Feeling crushed, Mikey muttered an "uh huh" then turned his back. "That's harsh, D. By the way, April, Casey and Leo are going outside the city today to gather some food. Anything at least, from what Leo said." He said as he walked out the lab.

Staring down at his keyboard, Don knew he went too far. Even though he's yelled at Mikey in the past, he never went full out like he just had. Also, his little brother held a point. "Maybe I am becoming a Raph 2.0…pfft, that's absurd." He placed his hands on his pastron as he snickered to himself. Once his laughter died, he looked back towards the door and regret settled on his face. "Well, I'll just have to apologize later I guess." In a heavy voice, he mumbled.

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><p>As Mikey said, the group had come into the lab so that they could go out. The three of them entered the room about half an hour later, with bags on their backs. When Leo came inside, he stepped over towards the chamber. Then he looked over towards his brother with concern. "So, Donnie we'll be gone for about half the day. We want to see if we can gather up anything, so we don't have to live off worms and algae."<p>

"That's fine. I'll activate the chamber for you." Donnie replied without even making eye contact.

Leo entered the chamber followed by Casey and April. Before April entered, she gave Donnie a quick glance. Meeting her eyes, he smiled and gave an awkward wave as the door shut behind her. Turning towards the switch to the device, he activated the protocol. Once it was finished, he walked back over to the laptop and began crunching some keys. "I want to get this done before they come back. Leo will understand." With determination, he thought to himself.

Hours strung by as he sat at the laptop. With his brow furrowed and his tongue sticking out, his face held concentration. Examining all the data he had received so far, he was about to get passed the last wall in security. With anticipation, his eyes grew wide as he furiously typed.

"Yes! I'm in baby!" He cried out in triumph as he shot his fists above his head.

Grinning from his achievement, he brought his hands back down to the keyboard and shifted through the different files. "Blueprints… just what I wanted to see." Pulling up the plans, he analyzed them with careful thought. "This was the building the Kraathathrogon was being led into. So it was the mutagen farm after all."

Suddenly his train of thought was interrupted by a loud knocking on the lair entrance. Glancing at the clock, he realized the hack took him longer than he had anticipated. Hoisting himself out of his chair, he then stretched his long limbs and activated the switch. "I'd better tell Leo before Mikey spills. So it's now or never." While waiting for the chamber to cleanse, he groaned to himself.

Donnie waited till the three of them entered the lair. Shifting his weight, he fiddled with thumbs and met Leo's eyes. "Hey guys." Trying to put up a smile, he said weakly. Quickly glancing at April, he gave her a quick wave.

"Hey Don."

April passed a faint smile as she walked past Donnie, followed by Casey. As Leo was about to leave, Donnie scratched his head. "Leo, I need you to stay minute. I hacked into TCRI." Avoiding his brother's gaze, he turned towards the computer.

"You what?" with a stern frown, Leo asked.

"Well, I decided to hack into TCRI and gather some info. Sure, I did it on my own accord…but I normally do stuff like that anyways." Trying to justify himself, Donnie replied.

Setting down the small bag he shouldered, Leo crossed his arms and said "Well, that's fine. But don't you think you should have said something to us first? Were you planning on going out and doing things on your own? Look, we all have been worried about you and you haven't acted the same since we've got back."

"I'm fine, Leo. Why does everyone keep telling me stuff like that? Seriously, you guys have no idea what it's like. I'm not a child, so stop treating me like I am. I haven't done anything wrong." Feeling the heat rush to his face, his eyes burned with anger. "Look, do you want to see the data or not?" he sassed.

Hearing their brother's going at it, Raph and Mikey rushed into the lab. " Is everything okay in here?" Raph asked as he eyed his two brothers.

With the entrance of his brothers, Don decided to push away the anger and stop the conversation. "Oh nothing… I was just explaining to Leo how I managed to get into TCRI."

Not convinced, Raph folded his arms and stared at him. "Uh huh."

"Well, show us what you got then." still sour in the face, Leo ordered.

Sliding into his chair, Don started pulling up things on the screen. "Well these are the blueprints to the buildings surrounding TCRI. There's the mutagen farm, holding complex, lab, ect. If we can gain access to the lab, I can get a hold of that perfected mutagen and then sabotage the lab before they cook up anything else that's lethal." With a proud and assured smile, he said.

Glancing at each other, the other three turtles didn't look convinced. "Okay Don, but I need you to print out copies of those blueprints so I can have a look for myself. We want to make the plan just right." Making himself clear, he gave Don a serious face.

His smile deflated, and he replied "Fine" somberly. After pressing a few buttons, he got up and walked over towards the printer. Once the sheets were ready, he passed them to Leo and shifted his eyes upwards to avoid eye contact.

Having enough of his littler brother's attitude, Leo mumbled as he left the room. Still hurt from the argument earlier, Mikey followed leaving Raph and Donnie alone.

Still looking unamused, Raph scowled at Donnie.

"What?" He asked bitterly.

"You know, you've been quite a jerk for a while now and you've been making Leo put up with your crap. Have you any idea how he feels? He hasn't been the same, you know? So stop being a jerk, that's my job." In a low tone, he explained with a hard expression.

Tired of having his brothers on his case, Donnie turned his back and mumbled "Alright" and went back to his computer. Shaking his head, Raph glared at his brother's shell before leaving again. "Fine, be that way."

His hot headed brother slammed the lab door shut, causing Donnie to jump in his seat. "Ugh" he groaned out as he rubbed his neck. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the ceiling wanting to kick himself. "Great, that could have gone better."

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><p>Since he was left alone with his thoughts, Donnie went through the to-do list for the twentieth time that day. "They don't understand. I need to fix this mess and they are treating me like I'm a ticking time bomb. Leo could have stayed in here and discussed the plans with me." Pouting, he scribbled down formulas and looked over his list of ideas he had written down. As he rubbed his temples, he felt the consequences of not sleeping lately. "Well, I don't blame him for wanting to strategize on his own. I haven't been the most cooperative lately." He mumbled under his breath.<p>

While he reasoned with himself, Donnie's thoughts still laid heavy in his mind. "But then again, I'm the only one who can fix this. Sure, he's good at strategies… Raph and Mikey are better fighters than me…But this job is pretty much all on me. April and Casey are counting on me to save their families." Having enough of kicking himself around, he heaved himself upwards and walked to the other side of the lair to work on the other projects.

He tinkered with some tools, and suddenly a soft knock sounded at his lab door.

"It's open!" he called out over his shoulder.

Slowly opening the door, his Sensei stepped inside. Once he was fully in, he eased the door shut behind him. Concern showed heavy in his face as he stared at the young turtle. "I have some things I need to discuss with you, Donatello." With a soft voice, he said.

Setting down the screwdriver he had in hand, Donnie met his father's eyes. "Yes, sensei. What is it? Is something wrong?" he asked politely.

"Well, yes and no." with a thoughtful face, he signaled towards the chair. "Sit down, this may take a while."

Feeling confused, he followed his father's order and sat down quietly. "How can it be both?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, nothing has gone wrong. Yet, there is something wrong. " Trying to be as gentle as he could, Splinter replied.

"Uh huh. I don't understand." Donnie twiddled his thumbs, trying to comprehend.

"Well, you see I'm a bit concerned. Lately you have been aggressive during training, while your mind is elsewhere. You have also been shutting yourself up in here a lot more than usual and you have not been sleeping…" with each word, Splinter's eyes began to soften and his tone became smoother. " I was a bit unsettled with your appearance when you found me, but my worries were settled once you started getting more sleep… However, you seem to be regressing."

Folding his arms, he felt bitter that even Splinter couldn't understand. "Don't worry, Sensei. I'm fine. I've been working on fixing things, that's all."

Lightly humming, Splinter stroked his beard. "Well, I understand. However, it is important to take care of your health as well. If you try to go about progress this way, it will become counterproductive. Things happen and I am grateful for having all my children back."

At the mention of his children, Donatello decided to try to use that to change the subject. "Speaking of children. How's Kar- I mean Miwa doing? I've been meaning to get a chance to talk to her and maybe examine her."

Softly chuckling, Master Splinter replied "She is fine. In fact she has been interacting with your brothers more. It seems her memories are starting to return. But, you would know that if you stopped holing yourself up in here." He said with a gleam in his eye.

Sighing, Donnie knew that his attempt failed and smiled awkwardly. "Uh yeah. Well, she's been kicking our shells during training." Rubbing the back of his neck, he gave a weak smile and added " Well, I understand what you are trying to get at Sensei."

"Alright, Donatello. Try not to stay up all night tonight. Also, you might want to patch things up with Michelangelo. He has been moping all day." With a light voice, his father said as he left the lab. Once the door was shut and Splinter was out of sight, Donnie heaved himself out of his chair. Pacing around the lab, he swam in his thoughts as each step filled the silence. Before long, he realized how much his limbs ached. "I feel like there are heavy weights pulling at my muscle." At the thought, he scrunched up his face and pinched between his eyes.

" Ah deep breaths, Donatello. Breathe. Relax" While muttering, he tried to cope the best of his ability. Frustration boiled back to the surface as he failed to clear his mind. Clenching his fists, he twisted around and kicked a gear that sat on the floor. The gear flew through the air and slammed against the metal wall, creating a loud bang. He winced at the loud noise, then cried out "argh".

"That was pointless. Now that part may be useless." he snapped to himself.

Narrowing his eyes on the wall the metal gear slammed into, he folded his arms and huffed. He stood there for minutes, not moving an inch. Clearing his mind, his face softened and he loosened up. The frustration slowly died down and he stretched. "Well, I'll fix it if I dented it. Doesn't matter…" deciding it wasn't worth any extra aggravation, he shrugged it off. Then Donnie faced the door to his lab and contemplated some ideas before deciding what he would do next.

"Might as well get it over with." Mustering up some dignity, he shut everything off in the lab before exiting it. Heat rushed to his face as he looked around. Sure enough, the whole group gathered around the blueprints, discussing things without him. "Why do I have to be the one to apologize again? It's them that are acting different. They are locked down here, since they can't do anything. I've been doing the right thing!" Slapping himself in the face, he hung his head. A deep groan escaped from his throat. "I'm doing it again. Just suck it up Donnie…else nothing will be accomplished."

The others lifted their head up at the sound of noise, focusing on him. Now in the spotlight, Don tensed up and darted his eyes to each of them. "Heh, hey guys." He let out awkwardly, once his eyes met April's it calmed him a little and then he walked up to them. However, his brothers shrugged him off.

"Oh real mature guys." With bitterness to his thought, he glared at his brothers.

His attention was drawn to Mikey, who was slightly pouting. Removing the expression from his face, his frown softened. "Mikey, I'm sorry about earlier. You aren't useless." Rubbing the back of his neck, he lifted his free hand apologetically.

Mikey stood up, and without saying a word he jumped over to his brother. Drawing his arms open, he forcefully hugged the taller turtle and smiled. "It's all good, bro. As long as you say that I'm the most useful person ever!"

A heavy breath passed his lips as he shifted his eyes away. It felt awkward to him, being held like that. "Fine Mikey, you are totally useful. Now let go of me." He said, as he pushed his brother off him.

"I knew it!" with eyes shining brightly, Mikey squealed. He followed up with a slightly antsy dance with huge smile spread on his face.

"Okay guys, focus here."

Leo folded his arms and sighed out as everyone looked back at him. "Don, what do you think about this?" He pointed at the top of the laboratory blueprint.

Humming, Donnie leaned over Leo who was kneeling on the ground. "Yeah, I noticed that myself earlier. It looks like a weak point. However, when I dug into the data even deeper that window is where the beam for their force field is located."

"Force field? So what, we can't get close to the building?" In exasperation, Leo flung his arms forward. Any ideas he had were flown out the window.

Donnie waited for his brother to finish his slight tantrum before replying. "Well, not exactly. The field isn't necessarily for the buildings, but for the entire city. Didn't you find it odd that we haven't seen any of the military launching an attack? It's because they can't." signaling upwards, Donnie continued "This means they can't bomb the buildings or the city. I'm sure they tried."

Not buying it, Leo cut him off. "Then how were we able to enter the city?"

"Well, it's mainly an above ground force field and the drainage pipe was outside the city quite ways. Remember, for advanced aliens they aren't all that bright." Shrugging, he emphasized on the bright part.

"Okay, I got it. So that means this spot is a no go then?" Confirming his suspicion, he looked his brother in the eye.

"It's a little risky. Maybe we can enter from below?" Perking up, he suggested. "See they must dump the failure batches somewhere. So there's a weak spot down there most likely." He pointed at a chamber underneath the building.

Silence settled in the air, as Leo stared at the blueprint. He rubbed his chin, contemplating different strategies. "That actually might work. We can try finding a tunnel that leads to there and stealth in." with a harden expression, Leo drew lines on the blueprint.

Donnie's eyes followed as the marks were made. Calculations and possibilities formed in his mind, putting his thoughts into overdrive. "Yeah, that would give us the highest possibility of success."

"Don, I don't want a high probability, I want a guarantee!" Leo urged with grittiness to his voice.

A troubled look settled on Donnie while he watched his brother's face. He remembered that Leonardo had also been through a lot, and understood that he doesn't want any of them injured. Deciding on how to handle it, he knelt down next to him and took the pencil from him.

"Okay, if we make adjustments here and here. We can take the Shellraiser here and then exit. Follow this tunnel way, then we should be in the clear."

His brother listened as he cupped his chin. A few hums emitted from him before Leo took back the pencil. Satisfaction filled him, as he was happy to work with Leo the right way. Though a gut feeling told him this wouldn't last

Their legs began to cramp, so they stood up and stretched. Donnie looked over his shoulder at his brothers, who dipped their heads in response. Then he gave a pleasant smile towards April, since he noticed she was staring at him. He wondered what she was thinking. However, he then mused on the idea that he shouldn't press it, so he returned his attention to his older brother.

A yawn broke from Leo, as he reached his arms behind his shell."Alright, this plan will work. But, we need to rest first." Staring at Donnie, Leo met his eyes and he lifted his finger up towards the taller turtle. "Mainly you as you haven't slept much at all. You need to be up to game before we go out on this mission."

His older brother stuck a nerve. "Again, treating me like a kid." Clenching his jaw, Donnie fumed with annoyance. "I knew this was too good to be true." he thought to himself as he closed his hands into a fist.

Deciding he had enough, he stared down Leo with his reddish brown eyes. "Look Leo, for the hundredth time, I'm fine. I've proven time and time again that I can hold my own. Heck, I've beaten you in a few matches during the sparring sessions!" Spitting out venomously, Donnie took all his frustration he had been hiding inside himself and fired it at Leo.

His older brother flinched at each word, indigo eyes full of pain. Don's anger seethed inside him, creating a slight pleasure of showing his brother how he felt. "It's you that needs to watch your back! You aren't even in your prime. I'm the one who's been doing everything around here. All you've been doing is sitting back and giving orders! Frankly, I'm tired of it. Donnie fix this, Donnie fix that. Even when I hacked into the system, you accused me of wanting to go off on my own. Frankly, you're just taking whatever it is you're repressing and throwing it onto me!"

Each phrase was a blow to the older turtle. Every word hurt and Donnie knew it. Watching his older brother wanting to break down, he knew he went too far but didn't care. While this went on, everyone stood back in shock as they had never seen him attack Leo in such a fashion. April's showed a storm was brewing inside her, but before she could step forward, Raph leapt in between the two brothers.

"Donnie, knock it off!" bringing a fist to the air, Raph gave the younger turtle a threatening glare.

"What is going on out here? Why is everyone shouting?"

Master Splinter entered the room with Karai following behind. Her tongue flickered in annoyance, like her father's tail.

"It's Donnie, man. He's gone crazy!" Mikey running towards his father with his arms in the air, wailed out.

Don felt frustrated as no one was on his side today. He turned his shell to Raph and Leo to face his father. Showing that he did not want to back down, he folded his arms and stood firmly in place. "I'm not crazy. I'm just stating the truth."

"The truth is that you're being an insensitive jerk! You whine about Leo taking crap out on you, but it's the opposite in my eyes. One second you're fine and the next you are like a rabid mutant squirrel. Get your nerdy brain together man!" Raph spat out, despite having Donnie's shell to him.

"No Raph, Don's partially right. I haven't been up to game myself and I've been struggling with keeping my own." Leo's voice was low, full of defeat.

"Leo-"

Raphael's voice was cut off, as a bright white suddenly filled the room, blinding them. Donnie cried out in pain as he gripped his ears when a loud screech broke into the air. Everyone else proceeded to do the same, and the room began to quake. "What's happening?" frantic thoughts flew through his mind as his legs buckled. Being brought down to the ground, his hands jerked up to his head to clutch it.

"Make it stop!" He screamed out .The sound was unbearable, jarring his entire skull.

Next thing he knew, there was total silence and the light vanished into thin air. "What in the heck was that?" he gasped as he blinked away the tears from his eyes. Disorientated, he lifted his head and looked to see if everyone was alright. They were fine as they lifted their heads up as well, gasping for air.

"What was that light?" still breathing heavy, Don tried to get reoriented. Straining his muscles, he stood up slowly. His legs wobbled in protest as he felt like the ground was going to be ripped right out from under him. Each of his huffs was muted; because his eardrums rang, making all sense of hearing rendered useless. Stealing a glance to his side, Raph helped Leo up against his will, while everyone else got to their own feet. Their minds still slightly foggy, as they turned towards the back corner of the room. Not comprehending why shock burst onto their faces, he whipped his head in the same direction.

"Woah!" Mikey and Donnie cried out in unison, since they couldn't believe their eyes

His mouth fumbled with trying to form words, while he tried to calculate the odds of himself dreaming. "I-it-it can't be!"


	16. Chapter 16

Rubbing his eyes, Donnie stared at the sight before him. His face twisted with confusion as he inched forward. "But how?"

He slowly took each step with caution, until he stood before himself. Gazing into his reddish brown eyes, he became lost in alien world. "Is this really me?" he asked himself as he reached a hand towards the face before him.

His reach was instantly swatted away, and he gasped out in shock. "Of course not, this isn't me. It couldn't be!" With bewildered thoughts, Donnie took a step back and put all his weight on the foot. He prepared himself for a fight as he eased his arm behind his shell.

"Woah! It's you guys…only, they look more…rugged!" Casey exclaimed in disbelief as he pointed towards the four strangers.

"I see that, but they look so much different. It must be a trick!" Leo said, while he unsheathed his katanas.

"Stand down." With an order, Master Splinter stepped out into the open, his nose sniffing the air for confirmation. "They are indeed you. However, it is a puzzling situation. But I do not feel any malice from them. Tell me, how did this come to be?" Signaling towards the one wearing a blue mask, Master Splinter asked.

"We're from six years in the future. Your future." He replied curtly.

Donnie took another step back, but brought his arms and folded them across his plastron. His eyes examined the four older turtles before him. The one that replied did in fact look like Leo. However, he was taller and a little leaner with gash scars all over his shell. Then he shifted his gaze towards the older Raph. He was indeed a lot more beefy, but about the same height. There was a burn scar across his left cheek. Looking towards the older Mikey, he definitely had some change to him. He was taller than Raph, but not as muscular; any of the pudge he previously had, was absent.

When he looked back towards himself, his future change shocked him the most. Donning major burn scars on his hands all the way up his shoulders, he looked extremely rough. Noting that he wasn't as scrawny, he noticed that he was also the tallest still, with even more inches added to him. His eyes were drawn to straps across his torso, leading to a pack with strange machinery. He wondered what it was, but when he looked back towards his eyes, his stomach dropped.

"What happened to us, to make my expressions look so cold?" with a discouraged look, Donnie took yet again another step back, unfolding his arms. This was too much for him to handle.

An awkward silence filled the air; no one moved or spoke since Leo's reply. Splinter then broke the silence with a slight hum. "Alright, but how or better yet, why are you here?"

The future Leo was about to speak, however the older Donatello lifted his arm in front of his face to cut him off. Leaning forward, he lifted his free arm and spoke. "Things did not go as planned in the future. In fact this strategy you guys drew up tonight ends in a total disaster. Frankly, this is our last chance to make everything right." With harsh grittiness to his voice, he bit out each word. Standing behind his arm, Leo's face looked annoyed, but he didn't act on it.

Donnie noticed this, but instead focused on what had just passed into his ears. "I can't believe it. So all my work was futile?" cupping his head, panic level rose within him.

Instead of waiting for his father to reply, he spoke to himself, wanting answers. "So I accomplish nothing? It goes on for six years and nothing changed?"

A bitter laugh erupted from his future-self, and his face hardened. "You accomplish nothing but pain. Oh things do change, but it took a turn for the worst. Creating this time machine was the only real accomplishment, but every time we've used it…things did not go well."

Not able to stand it anymore, Donnie turned away. Anger and frustration boiled inside him from the news, but the fact that time travel was possible opened up so much. Rubbing his face, his eyes met April's. Her face was unsettled, and even disgusted by the way his future-self spoke.

"That's not me, April." He mouthed silently, eyes imploring her.

However, she remained silent and tore her eyes away. She hadn't forgotten the way he spoke to Leo earlier and seeing him in the future act that way made her not want to put up with it. Donnie felt his feelings claw at stomach, making him want to break down. Instead of giving in, he pierced the ground with a glare and decided to make use of this situation presented to him.

His thoughts were then again cut off by his father's voice. "Well, you four are still my sons. Sit down and tell us exactly what happens. You still have not answered on why you are here." Gesturing towards the seats in the pit, he expected everyone to sit down and listen. "This is indeed urgent, and there must be a valid reason on why things have come down to this."

The older Donatello brought his arm back down and turned his head towards his brother. Instead of waiting for that Leo's confirmation, Raph pushed past Donatello to sit down in the pit. "What are you three waiting for? You heard him."

"No matter the time period Raph, you always listen to father. It's hilarious how Leo used to be the suck up, but you managed to replace him in that."

"Hey watch it mad scientist, or I'll bash your brain in!"

"Guys, don't do this here. Let's just get this over with." The future Mikey whined as he hopped down into the pit after Raph.

As the four young turtles watched how they acted towards each other, the feelings of horror and disgust filled their stomachs. "Unbelievable." Raph muttered out as his emerald green eyes pierced the future Donnie.

Master Splinter once again urged everyone to gather around and sit. Donnie noticed that his future-self distanced himself from the brothers. When he sat down next to him, he could feel the discomfort in the air smothering him. His own brothers inched away from him, since they were still annoyed by him. Karai let out a raspy chuckle as she passed him, aware of his discomfort. Don felt alone in this, as his gaze tried to reach out to his brother sympathetically, only to be shrugged off.

Once everyone settled into a comfortable seating position, Splinter then again looked towards the older turtles, taping his fingers against his arm in the folded position. The four of them fidgeted in their seats, however Donatello, instantly settled and his expression was bitter and grave.

"It's a long story, however after previous experiences I know you all will not budge or listen to what you have to do. So to save time and to make things efficient, I'm going to tell it once in detail. So do not interrupt me rudely."

Splinter narrowed his eyes at the tone the older purple masked turtle gave, but then waved his hand and replied " Alright then. Go ahead."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs and locked his fingers together. Resting his chin on them, his eyes focused on the ground as he heaved out a heavy sigh and spoke:

"_We've been fighting for over six years. We believed that we had the ability to fight off the Kraang and defeat them for good. It all started when we drew up the plans for infiltration so that I could destroy the lab and gather samples. At first, things were going according to plan. However, one of the bots spotted us and Casey was knocked down from a rafter, after his leg got shot off. We were all gravely injured and we barely got out with our lives. Things only went downhill from there-"_

Crying out in disbelief, Casey started rambling "WAIT! I had my leg blown off? Unreal bro, you gotta be pullin' my leg."

"Hah, your leg! Get it cause you said pullin-"

"I get it Mikey! " Casey snapped, cutting of the joke.

Shifting his weight to his side, the older Donatello unlocked his fingers and glared at the two of them. "Can I please continue? I don't like to be interrupted."

Casey felt chills shoot down his spine from the cold, scolding eyes that shot at him. Without another word, he flopped back into his seat, releasing a grunt.

The scarred turtle rolled his eyes and gave his temples a short rub before continuing:

_"Anyways, they weren't able to find the liar, since the Kraang aren't very smart on their own. But, they did make it so that we had difficulty getting into any of their structures. I was able to create a robotic prosthetic for Casey, but he wasn't the same after that."_

"Pfft yeah, no duh. My legs are like, my life. I need em." Grumbling, Casey pouted and met eyes with the older Raph. The hardened turtle gave him a slight look of sympathy, before his brother heaved an aggravated sigh.

Choosing to ignore the second interruption, he resumed the story:

_"Another year passed as we struggled to thin out their numbers. Their reaches began to grow and they started taking over other cities. Even after a year had passed, I was nowhere near creating a new version of a retro mutagen. We realized that we could not do anything on our own. So we drew up another plan to break into the jail where all the mutants were being held. To make sure that it would be an accurate plan, we scouted multiple times. Once we were ready within a few weeks, we infiltrated. What we saw with our eyes was beyond my fathomable reasonings. The Shredder was their warden, since the Kraang gave him full control over the holding complex. He was determined to find Karai and reclaim her._

_The irony there was that she came with us that night, so after all his searching… she was brought to him. Only for him to find out that she remembered and even knew the real truth. We were caught yet again, and were swarmed. Bent on revenge Shredder charged towards us, but Leo tried his hardest to fight him off. He wanted to pay back for all the pain he had suffered. All he ended up getting was a new set of scars"_

"Wait! You guys let him face Shredder alone? What were you thinking? I'd never leave my bro like that!" Not believing his ears, Raph felt sick to his stomach as he protested.

Wiping his face with his rugged, burned hand, Donatello just simply replied. "Trust me, we tried to back him up. He insisted that we continue on, since he had his ridiculous notion of revenge."

Raph stared at his future-self, waiting for his response. "It's true, Leo wouldn't listen and there was a lot happening at once." His future counterpart replied solemnly.

Feeling impatient, Donatello's future counterpart cut in. "Hah, what was it you used to call him? Oh right, fearless leader." Spitting out the last two words, the older turtle met the younger Raph in the eyes, pointing his scarred hand at him.

Shocked beyond words, Raphael stood up and walked towards the back of the room, not wanting anymore to do with the conversation.

Donnie couldn't help but feel his stomach churn and his head spin, "This is all too much. Ugh my head is pounding…when was the last time I slept?" shifting through is thoughts, he stared at himself sitting a few inches away, waiting for him to keep talking.

_ "I was able to unlock all the cells and we routed every mutant in that building out and into the sewers. With the help of Leatherhead, we were able to convince them to join us, else they would get captured and tortured again. Even the Shredder's goons joined our side. _

_We managed to escape the Shredder's wrath and he lost our trail. The Kraang sent more bots after us, to look in the sewers. Again we had to escape the city, only we weren't alone this time. We all managed to make it out and regroup. With the help of some of the other mutants, we managed to build an underground fortress that tunneled all the way underneath the city. We would also ransack military bases. However, it was important to avoid contact, because they believed that we were part of the alien invasion. If one was caught, they were horrendously experimented on."_

Shuddering, the younger turtles felt their skin crawl at the thought of someone coming near them with tools.

_"From there on, we attacked countless times. We tried our hardest to destroy and get rid of the Kraang once and for all. However, every timed we thinned out their lines, they would replace them in a matter of days. Different tactics were used, and they all failed. The war continued on… Eventually, I came up with a retro mutagen, but it was impossible for me to create enough for the entire population or even a small fraction of it."_

One of Donnie's fears struck him hard in the chest. "I knew it…I knew it all along." In despair, he looked over to April as he had originally made a promise to her. He wanted to leap over there and comfort her, but he knew that he was the last person she wanted to talk to. Her eyes were glazed over, as a worried expression took over her face. She whispered "Dad." while clutching her chest.

Feeling his heart ache for her, he simply chewed at his lower lip as he bent his head down. "I can't face her right now." Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Casey wrap his arm around her. He wanted to be the one to do that and to comfort her. Feeling dejected, he burrowed his face into his hands, wanting all this to end.

Breaking free from the silence, the older turtle continued, but his face settled into an unreadable expression.

_"We pressed on for the next few years. Every attempt was a failure. When it got to the point that things were looking grim…an opportunity arose. Kraang Prime was stricken with an illness and that was our chance to strike. Our small army managed to push our way to the heart of their force. However, the Shredder came crashing down with his own army of trained mutants, the civilian ones..."_

He paused for a moment, clenching his fists. Licking his lips, he turned his head towards his older brother, and then looked back down. His brothers all shifted in their spots and the young ones felt the air smothering them. Once the older Donatello relaxed his muscles, he leaned back down onto his knees to finish his story.

"_We and Master Splinter jumped in to face him. He had a slight advantage, since we were already worn from fighting. Kraang Prime was so close, so we had to defeat him. All he wanted was Karai, who lashed out at him._

_Little did we know, the Kraang were preparing their super weapon to annihilate our whole force. Blow after blow, we faced off against him. I then realized their plan, and then I split from the group to go stop it. It wasn't very easy, as a swarm of bots got in my way. _

_The fight behind me as I battled my way to the giant laser cannon only grew more violent. Somehow, the Shredder was knocked into a container of raw mutagen…I could hear his cries of agony. What appeared from the goo, was a horrendous, grotesque monster twisted by his rage and thirst for revenge…"_

Twisting his face in disgust, he paused yet again. Master Splinter stared at the older turtle, eyes glazed over. Feeling his fur stand on end, he knew what was going to happen next, based on the faces the four of them gave.

"_I tried my hardest to fight my way through, but there were too many of them…I was pinned down. Master Splinter faced against the monster and held him back. I screamed out, but he didn't hear me. The Kraang saw the Shredder as a major threat, since he had already destroyed a lot of their equipment during their fight…I cried and screamed…finally he heard me, but the Shredder wouldn't let him go easily..."_

Tension settled upon them, at his dramatic pause. He lowered his forehead and pressed it against his locked fingers. Furrowing his brow into a knot, he shut his eyes and continued the account.

_" With the weapon aimed at them, Master Splinter felt like the only thing he could do was hold him back so we could escape…so he fell, along with Shredder..."_

Cupping his face with his scarred hands, he stopped talking. His brothers stared down at the ground, jaws clenched. Their younger counterparts sat there in disbelief. Even though Raphael had walked off, he still listened from the back. His emerald green eyes shone with pain at the thought of losing his father again.

Splinter lowered his head and eased his eyes shut. His grip on his staff tightened while he thought on what to say next. "Is that why you are here? To prevent all that?" in a hushed voice, he inquired.

"Wait, what happened after that? How did you manage to get out? Master Splinter really didn't die, did he?" Donnie asked his older self, wanting to hear the rest of the story. The thought of losing Splinter another time, especially because of him, pained him.

Shifting his head side to side to get a glance at each other their eyes, the tallest, scarred turtle decided to answer both of their questions. Leaning back, he felt drained from all the questions and wanted to get straight to the point.

"Well, as I was pinned down and having the shell beat out of me, I saw the ship that held Kraang Prime fly off, taking her to safety. Raph noticed that I was pinned, and charged into my captors and pulled me away. Leo called for a retreat and what was left of us fought our way out…" in a heavy voice, he masked his emotions and added "As to why we are here... It's to prevent all of this from happening, not just his death. We will go back to the start, so that the invasion doesn't happen."

"Wow, this is just like in my comics! Only cooler!" In a voice full of awe, Mikey's innocent blue eyes glimmered. The statements made everyone in the room groan and shake their heads. Ignoring the protests, the bubbly turtle gripped his chin and asked "Wait, can we also go back and see what happens to April's mom?"

Perking up, Leo also became intrigued. "As well as save Splinter's family?"

Cackling, the old genius placed his hands on his plastron and then quickly became serious. "I'm afraid not. See, we tried all sorts of things with this device strapped on my shell. It doesn't work, trust me."

Feeling curious on how the machine actually works, Donnie lifted one of his hands and pointed at it. "How does it work anyways? I mean, how was I able to create that? Also, how did you mess with time so much? We didn't feel the effects." Holding skepticism in his voice, his reddish-brown eyes looked over his other self.

"Well, I managed to grab more Kraang equipment; their new and improved stuff. Stricken with grief, I tinkered around in my lab messing with the dimensional device. Then it hit me…If dimensional travel is possible, then why not time? It took some trial and errors, but I managed to get it together."

"Fascinating!" Donnie exclaimed as he inched closer, wanting a look. "It makes sense, if dimensional travel is possible, then why not time?" he thought to himself.

Rolling his eyes for being cut off, his future-self folded his arms. "As for how the time travel works, we went back so many times. We created many different streams and splits in time. All of them end badly. However, this is our last chance to make it all right. If we break out those mutants and you team up with us, we can go back to the day they invaded and take the Kraang out. You all are still in good shape, and you know they aren't a force to be reckoned with. If this succeeds, then hopefully we can revert the time stream into one continuous flow."

"Donnie." In an awed stricken voice, Mikey said.

"What?" Both Donatello replied, with an annoyed tone in unison.

Whipping his eyes to both of them, they grew wide. "Woah, you two are sooooo alike. Anyways, I meant the older one. But calling you both Donnie is weird. Since I normally call him D, and you're from the future…how about…FD!" Liking the sound of it, Mikey threw his arms up in the air. "Yeah, I'll give you four new names we can call you by. The F-team. So there's FR, FL, FM, and FD!"

"Fine Mikey, call us whatever you want. I'm already used to that nickname anyways…" shrugging him off, FD replied.

"Wait…someone else gave you that nickname? What the heck?" Calling out in protest, the younger turtle pouted.

"Yeah, you did nimrod."

With satisfaction settling to his face, Mikey calmed down. " Oh…Well, I'm still bummed that we can't go back and fix everything though…" Mikey said quietly, while pressing his fingers together and pulling them apart.

Having enough of the chit chat, Master Splinter interjected "It is for the best, my son. Even though I am not a scientist, I know that time should not be trifled with. Things happen for a reason, but for the sake of fixing everything and correcting the screwed up time line, then I will indeed help in this cause." With affirmation, he stood up then looked over his shoulder. "I shall go meditate for now. Come up with a clear concise plan, then rest. We shall begin tomorrow."

"Hai." Everyone in the room replied in unison, while bowing their heads.

After Splinter left the room, everyone got up and then broke into little conversations. April got up with Casey and went to go talk about their families. Raph and Mikey stood up to speak to their counter parts. However, instead of conversing with his counterpart, Leo followed Karai to where she slithered off. Watching his bothers, Donatello stayed where he sat, next to his counterpart. The room buzzed with conversations, but he blocked out the sounds. He then shifted his eyes to focus on the burn scars, and his mouth drew into a puzzled line. "So how did you…we…get those scars?"

Leaning back, FD sighed out and lifted his arms over in front of Donnie so he could get a closer look. "I got them from when an experiment took a turn for the worst. I wasn't willing to give up, so Raph dragged me away from it just in time. His face got caught by it as well…"

Feeling petrified, the idea of nearly losing his arms sickened him. "Though, it doesn't surprise me…I was bound to blow myself up one day." He sighed out softly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"So exactly how did you put that machine together? Like how was time travel even possible with that small device?." Trying to keep the conversation going, he asked FD.

"Well, I used a teleporter and converted it using what I remembered from quantum physics. I then added these knobs here on the straps so that I can calibrate it for the time. Think of this: time has a separate unit of coordinates, so I enter them in based on where or when we want to travel to. Then I added an actual teleporter so that we can jump across a continent if we have to." Actually enjoying the conversation, FD's voice lighted up and his facials softened. His eyes still held coldness to them, though.

"I see…so is that how we will break into the jail to free those other mutants?" with hope in his voice, Donnie sat up some more and his eyes begged for good news.

Springing to his feet, FD lifted his long burned arms above his head. Once he was stretched out, he looked back down at his younger self. "Yeah, for the most part. Even though I've taken up sharing the leadership role with Leo, I still need to check with him first before we go with a plan."

"Wait, leadership role? What?" with his head going a thousand miles per hour, Donnie couldn't believe what he just heard. "Did I hear you right? You…a leader? That was always solely on Leo" his mouth hung open, showing his gap tooth.

"Well, when you have an army of mutants, it's hard for one person to lead them all. So we all agreed that I would help co-lead it." Justifying himself, FD folded his arms and turned his back.

Not believing in what he heard, Don stood up and spat "Yeah...co-lead…I saw the way you treated them. You pretty much treat them like dirt and look down on them. I wouldn't ever disrespect them to that level. Sure they annoy me at times, but you were just a jerk… one that acts like he has all the power."

Another gruesome cackle escaped from FD's throat, as he stood over his younger self. Looking down on him, he lifted his disfigured hands and placed them on his shoulders. "Are you absolutely positive about that? How about the way you treated Leo and Mikey lately? Also, you and your sweet April get into a lot of fights from here on out…see how nice you really are then…" letting go, he turned his back and walked away to seek out his brothers, leaving Don alone with his thoughts.

"Man, have I really been acting that way? Oh sewer apples…" Placing his hands on his head, he saw the room start to spin. "I should go apologize…wait…they are still upset with me. I should go sleep before I pass out."

Taking each step with his heel digging into the ground, Donnie made his way towards his room. As he passed April and Casey, he accidentally bumped into Casey, nearly knocking him over.

"Watch it dude! Haven't you had enough of being a jerk for tonight?" Raising his fist, Casey was about to leap onto the taller turtle.

Before he could strike, April grabbed his arm. "Let it go, alright?" while shooting a glare at Donnie.

Wanting to shrink into his shell from her vicious gaze, Donnie mumbled "Sorry, accident." before running off towards his bedroom. Slamming the door open, he stumbled inwards before pressing his shell against it for it to close. "None of them understand what I've been going through. I just wish…that there was some way to fix all this. I guess relying on them is the only option I have…I just need to rest before I do any more damage." With a bleak expression, his arms hung to his side as he muttered to himself in a worn, hushed voice.

Holding himself back from breaking down on the spot, he took weary steps towards his bed and collapsed. His weight cased the bed to creak, and he moaned in protest of the bed shaking from the impact. Fidgeting, he finally managed to get into a comfortable position and stared into the darkness around him. The protective gear felt uncomfortable to sleep in, but he wanted to avoid getting up again, so closed his eyes. Drowning in his thoughts and memories, he finally allowed sleep to claim him, in hopes of a better day.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for following me so far and continue to read this story. I had a blast typing this chapter out and I hope you liked it. Also, I hope y'all don't mind that the updates are taking longer, with longer chapters.<strong>

**I want to give special thanks to my friend John Smith for once again helping me edit.**

**Also, don't be afraid to leave reviews. I mean only if you want to, of course. ^.^ I appreciate all feedback I receive. Thank you everyone!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks again for reading and following the story this far. It makes me incredibly happy that I have readers that continue on and I can't thank you all enough. This has been an awesome experience for me to write and I learned so much from writing this fic. Anyways, I'll cut the chatter and let y'all read. Enjoy ^.^**

**ALERT: SORRY for the false update. I accidentally deleted chapter one and tried to upload it again...failed. So now I have to shift all the chapters around and repair the fanfic. I AM SOOO SORRY. I should have the next real update up in a day or two! Thanks again!**

**Edit: I'm positive that the fic is fixed now. However, the main reason I was fidgeting with it in the first place was because I noticed some serious stuff wrong with the first half of the fic and decided I wanted to edit it. I'm in the process of doing that now, but at least everything is in order now and none of the chapters are missing. Again, I'd like to apologize for the false update. Thanks all!**

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><p>"I gotta get out of here!"<p>

Skidding to a halt, Donnie was surrounded. Sweat dripped down his face and he heaved out labored breaths. "I can't keep running." Moaning in defeat, he quickly drew his bo staff. Locking eyes with the mutated civilian in front of him, he quickly charged, knocking it to the ground. The impact made it cry out in agony. In no time he was facing another one. Pushing his strength to his feet, he leaped into the air and planted a foot in it's pink flesh, causing it to go down as well.

A tentacle struck a blow to his shell as he took down another mutant, causing the air to escape his lungs from the force. It took a lot of his energy to dodge most of the incoming blows from all directions. Gasping out in pain, the shrieks of horror the creatures emitted was causing him to lose focus. Strike after strike, he was overwhelmed. "Oh man, I'm outnumbered. I need to find my way through this city and meet up with the others!"

Shouldering his way out of the horde of mutants surrounding him, Donnie quickened his pace as he strained his muscles for a retreat. Leaving the pink horrid mutants behind, he pushed his way into the clouded polluted air. The dense smog impaired his vision, so he ran through blindly. He was on the verge of suffocating, when he darted into a dark tunnel leading to the underground.

Once he was inside, he knelt down to catch his breath, inhaling the clean cool air. "What's going on? Where is every one?" Panic held his voice, as he wearily stared into the darkness. His entire body ached, but he knew he must press on. Against his better judgment, he gathered himself to his feet and sprinted forward. "If I continue forward, then logically I'm bound to hit an exit eventually." He thought bitterly to himself.

Time seemed to inch slowly as he ran. His legs screamed in agony, still aching from his previous encounter. "How much longer till I reach the end? I've been running for over an hour!" Suddenly, a purple glow emitted into the tunnel in the distance. "Ugh, finally." Rolling his eyes, he pressed onwards.

Closer and closer he drew, the light grew larger. A room opened up into his view and he rolled into it, cautiously looking around. It was empty and he yet couldn't figure out where the light was coming from. Carefully, he eased himself to his feet and gripped onto his staff, bringing it close to his plastron.

The tunnel entrance closed up behind him, locking him to the room. A slight squeak erupted from him. "I don't like this." Scrunching up his face, he groaned to himself. His heartrate steadily increased, and his breathing became shallow. Feeling his green skin tingle, he knew he was being watched. Slowly he turned, ready to pounce.

A scarred disfigured hand grabbed his shoulder and a menacing cackle filled the room. Instantly, Donnie dropped his staff and backed his shell against the hard concrete wall. "No, not you!" His eyes widen and he cringed from the sound.

"Oh yes, it is me. What's the matter? Can't face it?" Licking his lips, FD drew his face closer to his. "Face it, this is who you are." In a low growl, he teased his younger self.

Donnie tried to look away, but the older turtle used his free hand and cupped his jaw, tightly squeezing it. "Look at me. You know you have to face reality. It's all your…I mean our fault. Everything happened because of us!" spitting each word into his face, FD let out another gruesome laugh.

Wanting to break down, Don felt his stomach lurch and it felt like the air wasn't going into his lungs. "Oh what, are you going to be a wimp and pass out? Obviously, you're struggling with facing reality. Is it that hard to see it?" His attacker paused for a second and snickered with a terrible gleam in his eye. "Or perhaps you are just trying too hard to prove your worth to your family and please April." An evil smirk gripped his face as his cold eyes bore into him. "Trust me, I've been there. It's only a matter of time before you break." Then suddenly, his future counterpart turned his head to motion to the random appearance of everyone else.

"Isn't that right guys?" FD said with a harsh enthusiasm.

Donnie's body quivered in shock at the cold blank faces that stared at him, drilling into his core. He wanted to break free, but his captor's grip tightened, bruising his skin. A wave of mechanical laughter filled the room.

"Face it Donatello, you're just a hack!"

Using his long arms, Donnie gripped onto his shoulders. With a sudden burst of courage, he cried out "No, that's not true!" while using the last of his energy to shove FD away. His attempt was futile, and FD pressed his cheek into the wall. Then lowering himself to his ear, his future counterpart whispered "But you know it is, so stop denying it." All Donnie could do was whimper.

Suddenly, it went black. Nothing held onto him. In an instant, Donnie lurched himself upwards, feeling the blood rush to his head. "Ugh." He moaned as he wiped away the sweat from his brow. His chest was heaving, from his heavy gasps. Warmth spread out his entire body. In fact, he felt too warm. Rubbing his eyes, the blurriness faded and he then gripped his blanket.

A sigh of relief broke from him when he realized where he was. "It was only a nightmare." He quietly murmured as he lowered his head. Out of nowhere a warm hand patted his back, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. Quickly whipping his head to the side, he saw Leonardo sitting next to him with a pained expression.

"Oh, it's just you Leo." Still shaking off the sudden fright, Donnie heaved out wearily.

"Are you alright? That looked like a pretty bad nightmare… I came to wake you up, but I heard cries." In a low concerned tone, Leo asked his little brother.

Nodding, Donnie wiped his brow again. "Yeah, it wasn't pleasant. Why didn't you wake me?"

A weak smirk formed on the blue masked turtle. He lifted his hands up and shrugged. "Believe me, I tried."

Donnie's face became flushed with embarrassment and he wanted to hide himself in his shell. "Oh."

His older brother saw his discomfort. "It's fine, everyone gets them. I would know, I get them pretty often." With a grim smile, Leo tried to comfort him.

Realization came crashing down on him as memories began flooding his mind of what happened the day before; in a matter of seconds he remembered everything. "Uh Leo, can I ask you something?"

Folding his arms, Leo tilted his head to the side. "Sure?"

"Yesterday wasn't a dream was it?"

"Afraid not."

Grunting, Donnie burrowed his face into his palms. "Sewer apples…" After a moment passed, he thought about the awful things he said to Leo. Regret clung onto him and the uncomfortable silence grinded against him. Leo shifted and was about to get up, but Don caught his arm before he could leave. "Leo, stay a minute."

His older brother complied and settled back into a comfortable position. "What is it? We don't have all day, you know. The others are waiting." Wanting to attend the more pressing matters, Leo formed a frown of impatience.

Gulping, Donnie adjusted himself so that his feet touched the floor. Then he rested his arms on his legs as he blankly stared off. A hard knot formed in his stomach while he listed in his mind everything he told Leo. He had taken pleasure into hurting his brother's feelings, much like the creep that stood before him the other day. "Well, it's about yesterday…before all the weird stuff happened." Licking his lips, he lifted his head up to look Leo directly into the eyes. "I said some pretty awful things to you. I've just been so stressed and I took all of it out on you. So I-"

Leo instantly cut him off. "No, Donnie. You were partially right. I knew you had a lot under your belt, yet I pestered and lectured you the most. We were so used to being active and having things to do that the things you normally do didn't seem so normal…since we never paid attention before."

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Leo continued. "In fact, we take a lot of things you do for us granted. Sure, you may not be the best fighter, but lately neither am I. All I'm good for is giving orders…" With a shamed face, Leo looked away and gripped his shoulder even harder. "I'm the useless one now. I can't even be a proper leader and it looks like I won't be from the example I got yesterday. Maybe you would make a better-"

This time it was Donnie's turn to interrupt. He couldn't bear the sight of his brother hurting himself with self-loathing "No, Leo." Shaking his head, he brought a clenched fist to his plastron. "I was out of line and you make a better leader than I could ever hope to be. I let my brain go into overdrive and cloud my better judgment. Softening his facials, he gave him a reassuring smile. "Also, you'll get back into form and soon you'll be kicking my shell every time."

He gave Leo a slight nudge to the arm and his brother replied with the same. Soft chuckles erupted from the both of them. It was short lived though, as Don's thoughts drifted off elsewhere. Tilting his head away, he lowered his eyes and chewed at his bottom lip. "That other me is a jerk and I won't be a leader of any sort, no matter how tempting it is. If being a leader means losing myself or my humanity, then I refuse to be one. I don't want to end up like that." Easing his eyes shut, his voice was full of anger and regret.

Leo then got to his feet and looked towards the door. An uncertain expression replaced the grin he held. Motioning for his younger brother to get up, he said "Well, time changes people Donnie. They are us in their core, but I can't imagine the sights they've seen…So, we just need to cooperate and return everything to the way it was."

Don knew his older brother was right and heaved out in defeat. Hoisting himself to his feet, he stood firmly. "You're right. We better get to it then."

His older brother dipped his head without saying a word and went to the door. It creaked as he eased it open, then he walked through, leaving Donnie's sight. Without a moment's hesitation, he followed Leo's example by exiting. Shutting the door behind him, he quickly caught up. In the main room, everyone gathered.

"I guess I wasn't the only one who hadn't slept well." He thought to himself as he noticed the bags under his family member's eyes.

"What took ya both so long? You guys wasted our time." FR mumbled in complaint as he folded his arms. Shifting all his weight to one foot, he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Mikey's counterpart stood next to him. He found FR's comment funny, and said "Well, they really didn't. We've got our hands on all sorts of time. I mean, we are time travelers and all." FR didn't find the joke all that funny and just slapped his brother behind the head.

Leo held an awkward expression and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, we had some things to talk about. So what's the plan?"

FR stepped forward and motioned to his purple masked brother, saying "Well, we are going to use Don's device and teleport into the jail. Once inside, we will open all the cells and lead everyone out using the same device. But, we will need to hold the guards and Shredder off while this happens." Pointing a finger in the air, he decided to use simple terms for Mikey. "Mainly, we leave it up to Donnie and we just guard him and everyone else as they escape."

Leo eyed his future counterpart and just said "uh huh." Then he looked to his own brothers to see how they each felt. As he met each of their gazes, they signaled that they were fine with it. When it was Donnie's turn, he thought for a second. Once he decided the plan was good, he then dipped his head in agreement.

"Alright, it's settled then. Let's do this team!" With excitement, Leo pumped his fist in the air while showing a huge grin of confidence on his face.

FD's laughter broke out into the liar, as he clutched his sides. "Ah man, look Leo…he's so cute. I remember how much of a dork you used to be." Snickering, Donnie's counterpart continued. "As much as I like your enthusiasm, it's not that simple. First I want you all to look over these charts; it's the layout of inside the jail. Once you all got a clear image in your head, then we can proceed."

FR came over to his brother's side and helped lay out the blueprints for them all to look over. Donnie noticed that Splinter and Karai came out from in the dojo. "Will you be coming with us, sensei?" He asked with a perked interest.

"Yes, Donatello. I consulted the older Leonardo earlier and we both concluded that it would drastically help if I were to involve myself. When it comes to these things, I can't be sitting out. Our lives depend on this, so I need to play my part. Miwa is also a great fighter, so she will be joining as well." Answering his question, Splinter motioned towards Karai.

In her human form, she walked towards the center and knelt down in front of the charts. She crossed her arms and looked around. "Aren't you going to study this too, or am I going to be the only one?" Flashing her green eyes towards Leo, she hissed in a teasing tone.

Leo shifted awkwardly and rubbed his arm, then went to sit down next to her. Donnie watched his brother get flustered over Karai and shook his head. "I see she still retains her personality." He silently mused. Soon everyone crowded around the blueprints that the older turtles laid out. Don knelt down across himself, but April sat next to him. Shifting a glance at her face, her eyes met his.

Showing a weak smile, Donnie said "Good morning." After uttering those words, he wanted to kick himself. "Smooth, Donatello. Remember that she's not happy with you..." He started beating himself up. But he stopped in an instant when she returned the awkward smile. "Morning." And then she focused on the map, but not before giving him a small wave.

"I guess she's not so angry at me after all." Silently, he noted to himself.

Realizing that he was still staring at her from the corner of his eye, he shifted his focus to the task at hand. He could feel his father standing over them, inspecting the charts as well. When he managed to focus his eyes onto the blueprints himself, they grew in shock.

"The sheer number of cells is incredible. That's more mutants than when we last broke open a mutant holding facility! How did I not notice that yesterday when I hacked into the system?" Pressing his fingers against his chin, he continued to analyze quietly. "Well...I can see why they would want them to help us. That number could tilt the odds of success in our favor. Thankfully the facility is simple in structure. I've got all the data I need."

Satisfied, Donnie lifted his head up and was eye to eye with himself. Shivers ran down his spine. However, there was something in his counterpart's eyes that he couldn't read. It was cold and foreign, yet there was something familiar. FD gave him a slight smirk. "I expected you to be done first, after all we have the best memorization."

"Uh, yeah." Donnie didn't feel like conversing with him, so he quickly looked away.

At first he tried to sit there patiently, but began to feel cramped. Deciding he didn't want to sit there any longer, he got to his feet and stretched out his limbs. Relaxation came flooding back into his muscles. He then waited for everyone else to get ready. His eyes watched carefully at their expressions. Even though he felt confident, he couldn't help the small bit of dread that hung onto him. This was their shot to fix everything and his whole family was staking everything on this. Determination to make this work pushed away the dread. "Now is not the time for that self-anguish I've been putting myself through for the past month." He strongly told himself

Eventually they were all satisfied and the older turtled gather the plans back up. "Alright, I'll have Don set the coordinates for the portal to open up in the control room for the center and we'll begin the operation. If you have anything that needs to be taken care of, then I suggest you do it now." FR firmly ordered.

Everyone went and fetched their weapons and gear. Once they were all geared up and loaded, they stood before the F-team. The silence accompanied by their confident faces showed FD that it was time to open the portal.

Muttering different number sequences, he played with the dials on his straps and pressed a few buttons on the side of the bag. Within seconds a square pink portal was displayed in front of them. "Alright, each of you go through. But be cautious and alert when you step through, danger will be lurking from here on out." In a serious tone, Leo's counterpart ordered them while making it clear to them that this wasn't going to be simple.

Splinter was the first to step through, followed by Casey and Raph. One by one each of his family and friends stepped through, leaving Donnie to be the last. Taking careful steps, he made his way to the pink opening until he was barely touching it. Then he braced himself as he stepped one foot into it. Within seconds he was sucked in, leaving his home behind.

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><p><strong>AN: Well, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. This was more like a prep chapter and I felt like it would be good to break it off here. Like I said earlier, this has been a great learning experience for me and I can't thank you all enough for reading and following this. The story is getting closer and closer to the finishing line and I've already started laying out ideas for my next major fanfic. Anyways, I should hopefully have another update soon. ^.^ Thanks again!  
><strong>


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